Assassin Love
by Sovereign64
Summary: AU Story. Natsu Dragneel is a former military soldier with a dark past while Lucy Heartphilia is a deadly assassin. When they cross path, they begin falling for each other. NatsuXLucy Obviously COMPLETE!
1. The Deadly Assassin

DW: Hi guys, I recently became a fan of Fairy Tail. And after reading some Fairy Tail fanfictions, I've decided to write my own. Here's the first chapter, guys. I hope you all enjoy.

_**Assassin Love**_

_**Summary: Natsu Dragneel is a former military soldier with a dark past while Lucy Heartphilia is a deadly assassin. When they cross path, they begin falling for each other.**_

_**Chapter 1: The Deadly Assassin**_

The man ran through the streets of New York. Passing civilians gave him strange looks, but he ignored them. He knows his pursuer is after him, and he has to run for his dear life.

The man kept running until he arrived at an abandoned warehouse. He pressed himself against the wall, breathing heavily. His throat ached with every breathe he took.

Suddenly, his eyes widened when he heard footsteps, they were getting closer. He looked around the warehouse. Wooden crates were stacked high all over the place. He quickly ran over to a wall of crates and hide behind them.

He breathes heavily in fear as he continues hearing the footsteps of a figure walking into the warehouse.

He peeked from behind the wall of crates and barely sees the figure who has come to eliminate him, turning his head around.

A few minutes later, the figure turned around and slowly walked out of the warehouse.

After the figure left, the man walks out of his hiding place and sighed in relief.

'_Thank God he's gone.'_ He thought in relief.

But suddenly, he gasped in shock when he heard footsteps coming from the top of the warehouse! The man lifts his head and suddenly, the figure broke through the ceiling window and landed right behind the figure.

The figure immediately punches him on the back of his head, causing the man to fall to the floor. The man groaned as blood trickled down from his mouth.

The man staggered up to his feet, only for the figure to kick him hard in the stomach, sending him smashing through a pile of wooden crates.

The figure walked up to him, wraps his hand around his throat and lifts him up into the air. The man looks down at the figure and widens his eyes in shock.

The figure's hair was blonde and has beautiful chocolate brown eyes. She wore a white sleeveless blouse, blue skirt and black boots. The man realized that the figure is_…_

'_A woman?!' _The man thought in shock.

The woman looked up at him and tosses him to the wall. The man looked up, only for the woman to deliver a powerful punch to his face. The woman pummeled him while the man helplessly stood there, taking the woman's beating.

He was bruised and bleeding, with several broken bones. After a few more minutes of punching, the woman grabs him by the neck and throws him to the ground.

The man turns to the woman, who narrowed her eyes at him as she draws out her revolver and aims her weapon at him.

"Why?" The man gurgled as blood violently rolls down his mouth.

The woman shrugs.

"It's nothing personal, mind you. I just do what I'm told. And I was told to kill you."

Those were the last words the man hears from her before the woman shot him in the head.

**END OF CHAPTER**

DW: That was chapter 1, folks. I hope you guys like it and read and review!


	2. Life of Natsu

DW: I would like to thank Daydream Clouds, Jean Kazuhiza, RebelAngel91210, Im-Too-Emo-For-This, Kamy-sama and Sorii for reviewing. Thanks guys!

_**Chapter 2: Life of Natsu**_

A pink-haired man strokes his hair as he quietly walks down the streets of Canberra. The man has black eyes, spiky pink hair and dressed in a white scaly scarf, sleeveless black jacket, brown belt, white pants and black shoes. His name was Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu stuffed his hands into his pockets and glanced up as he arrives at the bar he had called his pride and joy. He takes out his key, inserts it into the doorknob and unlocks the door.

Natsu then made his way into his opened-to-the-public bar. Steering through the few amount of tables in the empty pub, Natsu immediately begin his responsibilities. He flips the chairs over until suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring.

Natsu's stomach did a twist and he sees a red-haired woman and a bold man, both dressed in military uniforms walking into the bar.

Natsu scowled, not believing who the red-haired woman who entered his bar is. "Erza…" He muttered.

Erza turns her head to Natsu and placed her hands on her hips. "So Natsu, this is where you work now?" She asked.

"What are you doing here, General?" Natsu asked as he turns around and folds his arms as he watches Erza walks over to the bar counter. "And who's the man with you?"

Erza sits down and faces Natsu. She gestures to the bold man who nods his head to Natsu. "Natsu, this is Colonel Ian Hughes." She said.

"Pleasure to meet you." Ian said as he shakes Natsu's hand. "It's certainly hard to find you."

"Why is that?" Natsu asked.

"Good men are hard to find." Ian replied. "Anyways, Erza will explain to you why we are here."

"Many of your former comrades have been either getting killed or went missing." Erza said to Natsu.

Natsu widens his eyes. "Why is this happening?" He asked.

"Not sure. A month ago, Warrant Officer Gray Fullbuster was on a relief mission in Afghanistan when suddenly, he went missing. While Sergeant Mirajane has left her military life and now working at a local restaurant, but she was recently kidnapped a week ago. As for your other comrades, they were all killed mercilessly. Recently, five days ago, another one of your comrades, Corporal Joe Powell was found dead in a warehouse in New York." Erza explained.

"We suspect that the one who is behind these killings and kidnappings is a certain individual named Project Cerberus." Ian added.

"Project Cerberus." Natsu muttered. "But what about the name?"

"That is the name, Project Cerberus. It was a human experiment conducted by Red Hand." Erza said.

"Red Hand?" Natsu said, widening his eyes. "But I thought we destroyed the Red Hand in Mogadishu five years ago!"

"I know." Erza nodded. "However, somehow, they have risen again. If the Red Hand has risen again, this could mean that they are also conducting the Apophis experiment again."

"The Apophis experiment." Natsu muttered, bitterly recalling what the experiment is. The Apophis experiment was an illegal scientific experiment. Once injected, it blends with the victim's DNA and tries to merge with it, adapting itself to the host's genetic sequence and potentially giving it's host tremendous capabilities. However, such instances are rare in the extreme, and hosts which would reject the virus will have incurable side effects and die a slow painful death. "Do you have anymore information about Project Cerberus?"

"The only information we have is that he exists and he poses an extreme threat to our men. That's why I need your help, Natsu." Erza stood up. "I want you to help us find the Red Hand's base and take down Project Cerberus and their Apophis experiment." Natsu turns to Ian who nods his head.

Natsu shook his head. "I'm sorry. Not gonna do it." Erza and Ian watched Natsu as he walks past them and walks over to the door of the storeroom next to the bar counter. He opens the door and closes it after going inside the storeroom.

"I thought you said he was a great soldier." Ian said to Erza.

"Let me talk to him." Erza said as she stood up and walks over to the storeroom.

* * *

As Natsu climbs up a ladder and places a bottle of wine on a shelf, Erza enters the room and folds her arms.

"You know this is an important mission, Natsu. If we don't do anything, millions will die." Erza said

Natsu turns to Erza and said as he climbs down the ladder, "Erza, you know I'm not with the military anymore."

"Natsu, I understand why you quit the military, but Luxus's death wasn't your fault. No one could have done anything to save him."

"Luxus trusted me, but I failed. And it's all my fault."

"Nothing that happened during the mission was ever your fault, Natsu. No one has ever blamed you for anything!"

"No Erza!" Natsu jumped to his feet. "You don't understand! I was the leader of the squad! My job was to make sure everybody complete the mission without any casualties! But because of my stupidity, Luxus is dead! And it's all because of me!" Natsu let out a sigh and lowers his head.

Erza sighed, "Natsu…"

"I'm sorry Erza. But I'm afraid I can't help you. " Natsu looked up. "I don't wish to make the same mistake again."

Erza nodded. "Very well. Sorry that I've troubled you. But please be careful. You could the next one to be killed or captured by Project Cerberus." Natsu nods his head as Erza gently put a hand on his shoulder before turning away.

"Erza." Natsu said. Erza turned to him. "I'm sorry."

Erza simply smiled at him. "I understand." With that, Erza walked out of the room.

Natsu's eyes grew cold as he bitterly recalls what happened at Mogadishu five years ago. He was the squad leader of the Fairy Tail unit, a military unit sent to infiltrate the streets of Mogadishu and destroy the Red Hand's base and their Apophis experiment. During the mission, he sent one of his comrades, Luxus, to infiltrate the Red Hand's base, but was killed during the bombing of the base. The mission was a success, but one life was taken away, and Natsu knew it was all his fault.

* * *

Erza looked out of the window as Ian drove the car down the nearly empty road.

"I still can't believe your friend isn't going to help us." Ian said to Erza as he drove.

"It's alright. I don't blame him." Erza said. She turns her head to the front and widens her eyes when suddenly, a huge black pickup truck comes driving towards them.

"LOOK OUT!" She shouted but it was too late. The pickup truck crashes right into the right side of their car. The crash sends the car screeching towards the metal road barrier. The car smashes through the metal barrier and it flips down the hill. After flipping a few times, it had finally slammed to a sudden halt when it hit a few trees.

Erza groaned as she felt the fresh cut adorning on her forehead. She slowly turns to Ian, who is resting his head on the steering wheel.

"Ian?" Erza moaned weakly as she nudges Ian's shoulder. With a groan, Ian slowly lifts up his head. Erza gasped as she sees a large gash adorning his forehead, allowing blood to drip freely down his face.

"My God, hold on…" Erza moaned.

Meanwhile, the blonde-haired woman steps out of the pickup truck and walks over to the gigantic opening in the metal road barrier. She smiles wickedly as she looks down at the heavily damaged car below her.

She leaps down and lands beside the car. Erza gasps as she turns to the woman. The woman walks over to the car and leans down.

"Hello. You must be General Erza Scarlet, I assume." The woman said to Erza with a sickeningly sweet smile. She then turns to Ian. "Oh my, he's wounded." She then draws out her revolver. "What a shame." She shoots a bullet through the center of Ian's forehead and Ian collapses on the steering wheel.

"No!" Erza cried.

"Don't move." The woman said firmly as she aims her revolver at Erza.

Erza turns to the woman and breathed heavily. "What? You're gonna kill me next?" She asked.

The woman smirked as she tilted her head slightly. "Love to. Unfortunately, my master wants you alive."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	3. The Mission Begins

DW: I would like to thank sithmaster56a, RebelAngel91210, xXBleachluverXx, Daydream Clouds, luvingrandomness and blackstar822 for reviewing. Thanks guys!

_**Chapter 3: The Mission Begins**_

The woman brought Erza into a small dark room. She pulled Erza roughly on her hair to force her down on a chair. Erza grits her teeth as she was forced onto the chair. The woman stands behind her with a sly smile.

"Excellent work, dear Lucy." A voice said to the woman, now known as Lucy. Lucy bowed before the source of the voice.

Erza then looked up and sees the figure sitting in front of her. The figure wears a black mask around his mouth and has long black hair. He is dressed in green military uniform, black combat vest, black gloves, black belt, green pants and black boots.

"My name is the Marauder." The figure greeted. "You realized you are the first military general to be captured by the Red Hand. Congratulations." He bowed his head.

"The Marauder? That's a very creative name." Erza said dryly. "How long does it take you to think of that?" Lucy scowled and kicked the back of Erza's chair, causing strands of hair to fall in front of her face.

Erza calmly pushed aside her strands of hair away from her vision and continued, "If I'm going to be interrogated, I wished to be interrogated by your superiors."

The Marauder leaned forward. "I _am _the Superior. I believe you already met my associate, Lucy Heartphilia AKA Project Cerberus." Erza turned to Lucy, who smiled sweetly and waved her hand at her. She turned back to the masked man.

"Just tell me what you want." Erza said.

"Cooperation." The Marauder replied as he leans back on his chair and played with his fingers. "I heard that because of our ongoing Apophis experiment, the military have decided to keep the location of this year's World Leader summit a secret to the public. I want you to tell me where this year's summit will be held."

"Oh I'll tell you alright." Erza scowled. The Marauder leaned forward again.

"Where is it?"

"In your ass."

Lucy immediately grabs Erza by the back of her head and slams her face against the table. Erza winced slightly as she got up and looked back at the Marauder, who nods his head.

"I see, you have decided to test my patience. Lucy, take her to the cell and put her along with the other prisoners." The Marauder said.

"Yes, my master." Lucy said.

"And I have one more task for you. I'd like you to execute prisoner 006. He has become troublesome and I want you to make an example of him to the others. After that, you are dismissed."

"Yes, I will." Lucy bowed down. She pulled Erza roughly by the hair to force her up. "This way, you scum." She said as she pulled Erza out of the room.

The Marauder grinned as he watched Lucy walk out of the room with Erza. She truly was his most prized possession. Not a person, but a possession. He turned her into a killing machine, and she worshipped him like a God. As far as she was concerned he was, and she would follow his every order without hesitation. The girl was only seventeen years old, yet she had killed more people than any other under his command. She was the perfect tool for removing undesirable elements from society, for she would mercilessly slaughter men, women, and children without even blinking.

The Marauder recalled how he first met Project Cerberus. After the incident in Mogadishu, he ordered several Red Hand agents to capture several orphaned children around the world.

When Project Cerberus began, its goal was simple: create the ultimate agent. With that in mind, the scientists under his employment have injected the Apophis experiment on all the children the Red Hand have captured.

The experiment seemed to be a disaster. Of the three hundred captured orphans, most were killed immediately after the injection. The others became badly mutated or deformed, and were swiftly put to death. Only a few survived in the end. There was one however that was more perfect than they had ever imagined.

That individual has become many times stronger than any normal human, being able to lift three times her weight over her head at the age of twelve. Her reflexes have become such that she was able to react to the actions of a person before their brain had even finished processing what they were doing. She became virtually invulnerable to injury, as she healed many times more quickly than normal, and her organs were able to withstand tremendous damage. Her blood now contained a powerful neurotoxin, meaning that she was always capable of killing. This person was of course Lucy Heartphilia.

She and the other survivors grew up in the facility where Project Cerberus was conducted. They were trained physically, mentally, and emotionally. They underwent psychological manipulation to ensure their absolute loyalty and were trained in various tasks. Few could match Lucy in terms of strength, skill and perception, which was what made her among the best.

The Marauder was very pleased. Lucy had been his greatest agent. At the age of fourteen, all of the children were tasked with executing a prisoner. Most of the children either bludgeoned or stabbed their victims to death, but the poor man assigned to Lucy was skinned alive. She became rather unstable as time passed, but that made her all the more effective, and she was absolutely loyal to him.

Of course, with her abilities came paranoia derived from the environment she was raised in, and she came to the conclusion that her place as a future agent was being put in jeopardy by the other subjects. Of the three hundred subjects used for Project Cerberus, only about twelve were still alive. Lucy decided that the only way for her to maintain her place as an agent was to kill all the other children.

She was fifteen when she put her plan into effect. She locked the doors to the building and set the place on fire. The few people escaping through the windows were hacked to pieces with a machete she had stolen from a local village. She also made sure to kill the scientists who had conducted the experiment so that no more of her 'kind' could be created.

Upon going to the Marauder, she was commended for her dedication to him, and he declared her his personal agent. Since then, she has been going around the world, conducting the Marauder's missions for him. She travelled across the globe to eliminate all soldiers who participate the battle of Mogadishu five years ago. She acted as a tool of the Marauder's vengeance, killing all who slighted him. None were immune to her; she had even killed the top general of a European army when he refused to allow the Marauder's agents a presence in his staff.

In terms of loyalty, strength, and intelligence, Lucy was without peer. She would perform any task the Marauder gave her without fail. To him she was utterly and completely perfect. A killing machine that obeyed his every order.

* * *

Lucy and Erza arrived at a seemingly abandoned building in Antananarivo. Underneath the building was the prison that held all of the soldiers she had captured. She normally didn't have contact with them, but they learned to fear the times that she did. She only went to that place to torture and execute them.

Lucy took out a machete and held it against Erza's throat and pulled her by the hair. Erza gulped as she felt the cold blade pressed against her throat but didn't show any fear. Lucy pushed her forward, making her walk. Erza did not resist, walking into the building with Lucy without struggle.

"How can you work for that monster?" Erza asked Lucy.

"Beats working for an organization who are against the Red Hand." Lucy replied. They walked down the stairs of the place to the prisoner area. They went to the cell that held the three most elite soldiers she had captured. Their names were Gray Fullbuster, Mirajane and Gerard Fernandes. They wore tattered clothing and they all had a defeated look on their faces. They were once proud soldiers, but now they were reduced to the pitiful figures before her.

Gray, Mirajane and Gerard look up and gasped. "Erza?" Gray gasped. Lucy then kicked Erza in the back and Erza falls into the room with a thud. Gray and Mirajane quickly got up and help Erza got up.

"I brought a new friend guys. Have fun with her. Also, I understand that one of you has been causing a bit of trouble," Lucy said coldly. Gray, Mirajane, Erza and Gerard remained silent as Gray helped Erza sit next to him. Lucy nearly laughed at them, "What, you won't talk? You should consider it a great mercy that you are allowed to live at all. My interrogation sessions with you are merely the price of staying alive." Gray and Mirajane shuddered as they thought of the horrific tortures she had put them through.

Suddenly Gerard jumped to his feet, unable to contain his anger at her any longer.

"You cold blooded murderer! How dare you hold us here like animals? A monster like you shouldn't be alive! You kill in cold blood! You're a monster!" He was cut off when Lucy grabbed him by the hair and pulled him forward so that his face was mere inches away from hers.

"I do what I am ordered. And right now, my orders are to kill you. Goodbye."

Lucy smashed Gerard's head into the wall, crushing his skull like an egg. The others gasped in horror. Lucy wiped off his brains on her clothes before turning her gaze to the others. Gray just stared at her in shock and horror while Mirajane hid her face in her hands as she burst into tears.

"Let that be a lesson to you," Lucy said coldly before walking out of the cell, leaving the three prisoners with the body of their brutally murdered friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, at his bar, Natsu was running a wet cloth over a mug, trying to get rid of even the most miniscual specks of dirt on the glass.

Then, the doorbell rang. Natsu looked up and see a white haired man dressed in a military uniform entering his bar.

"Hi, can I help you?" Natsu asked.

"Are you Natsu Dragneel?" The man asked as he walked over to him. "My name is Colonel Lyon Bastia." The man, now known as Lyon, removed his beret and bowed his head. Lyon puts his beret back on and asked, "A week ago, Erza and Ian came to this bar, did they?"

Natsu nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't know. They were supposed to return a week ago, but they never came back to HQ. Then we heard reports that they were attacked somewhere just outside Canberra." Lyon said in worry.

Natsu widens his eyes. "Do you think they are still alive?" He asked.

"Yes, we do. We last tracked down Erza's coordinates to Madagascar. Just thought you should know." Lyon said.

Natsu lowers his head down. It was all his fault. He had nobody but himself to blame. If he had gone with Erza, she would have been safe. And now, he's going to lose another friend and it's because of him. Natsu grits his teeth and clenches his fists tightly. As Lyon was about to turn around and leave, Natsu looked up.

"Send me in." He said. Lyon turned around.

"What did you say?"

"Send me in, Colonel!" Natsu yelled.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I am." Natsu nodded.

Lyon paused for a moment, then said, "Very well. I'll let my superiors know. Good luck and hope you can bring Erza and any other captured men back safely."

Natsu saluted. "Thank you sir."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	4. Meeting

DW: I would like to thank xXBleachluverXx, RebelAngel91210, Im-Too-Emo-For-This, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, and just-oneofthe-reader for reviewing.

_**Chapter 4: Meeting**_

Lucy went to her private quarters. As the Marauder's personal agent, she have access to huge quantities of money. But they are strictly only used for her missions. She entered her room which is a little small. It has a nice soft bed. The walls are blue and made of steel and there are no windows. Next to her bed was a small drawer.

She had just received another mission, but it's a mission she's not looking forward to. This time, she has to pose as a partner to an American soldier who has been sent to eliminate her. She is supposed to befriend this soldier and gain his trust in order to extract secrets from him. She hated the very idea of not killing whoever this soldier is. In her opinion, whoever is an enemy to her master and the Red Hand has to be killed immediately.

Aside from that, she had no idea of how to befriend a person. All her life, she was trained to become an ultimate killing machine, but never learn how is like to make and have friends. The only people who she have even been closed to…were her parents.

Lucy sat down on her bed and opens the drawer, revealing a small gold pocket watch. It wasn't a really a pocket watch, just the outer casing and the glass inside, she had done away with all of the components and replaced them with something else. She opens up the watch, revealing a picture of her smiling with her parents.

A tear slid down from her cheek. She missed her parents terribly. She could remembered how the Red Hand agents stormed into her house and killed both her father and mother right in front of her before taking her away. Their deaths haunted her memories ever since. Her parents are the only ones who ever cared about her, and now they are dead. The death of her parents is the only thing that could make Lucy cry and grieve.

Lucy then closes the pocket watch, places it back into the drawer and closes it. She needed her rest for her next mission. She closed her eyes and fall asleep.

* * *

Natsu fiddled with the straps of his bag as he waited outside his contact's office. He was now in North Carolina, and a soldier from the military will be serving as his contact. Finally, the door opened and a white-haired man greeted him.

"It's good to see you again in the military, Natsu Dragneel. Come in." The man. Natsu then got up and walked into the office. After entering the office, he sat in front of the man's desk.

The man sat down behind his desk and said, "Hello Natsu. My name is Lieutenant Elfman. How are you?" Elfman asked.

"Fine." Natsu nodded. "Listen, I'm not doing this because I want to join the Military again. I'm doing this because I wish to rescue Erza and the soldiers that Project Cerberus has captured. I also wish to eliminate Project Cerberus and stop the Red Hand."

"Yes, I understand." Elfman nodded. "So, you will be going to Sambava via Maputo. Your target will be Project Cerberus. You have to be careful though. He has already killed several of our soldiers."

"Yes, I know." Natsu said irritably. He felt that he doesn't have to be reminded again.

"Right. Once you arrived at Sambava, you will meet up with an intelligence officer named Lt. Mayfly." Elfman said.

"Why is she called that?"

"That's just a code-name. She will tell you your real name when you meet up with her. We don't know much about Project Cerberus, so you will have to work alongside with her. You could consider her as your partner."

"I see." Natsu said.

"Don't worry, she's an agreeable person. You will get along with her just fine."

"When will I leave?"

"You will go to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and board plane number 0897 that will leave to Mozambique in one hour. The flight will take approximately 20 hours. After arriving at Maputo, you will take a freighter to Sambava. After arriving at Sambava, go to the docks and meet up with Lt. Mayfly at freight storage Area G. You won't encounter anybody else so you don't have to worry. After you meet up with her, she'll brief you on what she knows about the subject of Project Cerberus. Do you understand?"

"Understood sir." Natsu nodded, ready for his mission.

"Very good. Good luck, Natsu. And one more thing." Elfman said, sounding grim all of the sudden.

"What is it, sir?" Natsu asked.

"Mirajane is one of the soldiers who was captured by Project Cerberus. She is my sister and the only family I had left. I hope you will find her and bring her back home safely." Elfman said grimly.

Natsu narrows his eyes and nodded. "Don't worry sir. I'll find your sister and take down Project Cerberus, no matter what."

* * *

_**22 Hours Later…**_

Lucy crept silently into Area G of the Sambava docks freight storage area. Wooden crates were stacked high all over the place, leftovers from when freighters took more freight than was needed. There were scattered objects on the ground.

Peeking around a corner of the walls of crates, she saw the one of the agents that was meeting with the American soldier hoping to eliminate her. She had to eliminate them. The man standing there seemed to be guarding the area in which they were to meet. Spotting a pile of scrap metal, an idea crossed Lucy's head.

Lucy walked forward and with flawless realism, intentionally tripped and fell forward onto the pile of metal. As she fell, she used a tiny blade to slice her arm, letting out a small, fake cry of pain. The blue-haired man, who Lucy knew was an American soldier named Macao Conbolt, rushed to help her.

"Are you okay?" Macao asked, helping her up.

"I…I think so…" she said meekly, slumping forward a bit and in doing so getting some blood from her cut on him. He took at tissue and wiped away the blood, but in doing so got more of it on him, although he quickly wiped that off too.

"Here, let me help you bandage that up," he said.

"You're so kind," Lucy said with tears in her eyes. Macao wrapped her arm up in bandages. Lucy was pleased to see that he was beginning to breathe heavily and become flushed.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked sweetly. Macao sat on a box, breathing very heavily and beginning to sweat.

"I…I'm fine, I just need a minute of rest…" Macao gasped. Suddenly, he collapsed, falling to the ground. He was dead within a minute.

Lucy smirked, stowing his body away in an empty crate. The fool hadn't stood a chance. The instant her blood had touched his skin, he was as good as dead. Her blood contained a powerful neurotoxin that could kill with just a few drops. It was among the most powerful poisons on earth, and her body produced it naturally.

Lucy walked forward, spotting a brown haired girl. She knew this to be Cana Alberona, AKA Lt. Mayfly. She was looking out for the soldier that would be arriving shortly. Lucy reached into her bag and pulled out a gun with a silencer attached. She crept forward until she was right behind her.

"Lieutenant Alberona?" she said. Cana turned, and before she could move a muscle in reaction she was shot in the forehead. The silencer muffled the gunshot to near silence. Cana slumped to the ground and Lucy grabbed the body and stuffed it into the same crate where she had put Macao. She put on a wooden lid, pounding several nails that were lying around into it. These crates were destined for the incinerator, and no one would ever know what had happened.

Lucy walked back to the front just as a red-haired man stepped off the docks.

"Lieutenant Mayfly?" Natsu said. Lucy grinned at him.

"Yes, I certainly look forward to working with you Natsu Dragneel."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	5. Meeting Part 2

DW: I would like to thank xXBleachluverXx, just-oneofthe-reader, RebelAngel91210, Syaoran07, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, Im-Too-Emo-For-This and minamidani for reviewing!

_**Chapter 5: Meeting Part 2**_

"It is nice to meet you," Natsu said, shaking Lucy's hand.

"Let's get down to business. We need to make it appear that you're the typical traveler here," Lucy said to him.

"Yes, of course," Natsu said.

"There's a small coffee house near here. If we go there, we will not arouse suspicion, as it is common for the average traveler to visit a place like that after a trip. I have already checked it for surveillance devices," Lucy said. In reality, she only wanted a chance to observe him so as to learn as much about him as possible. The sooner she was able to extract the necessary information from him the sooner she could kill him.

They walked into Sambava, blending in perfectly with the crowds of people. Lucy knew she needed to become friendly with Natsu if she wanted to retrieve the information without arising suspicion.

They soon arrived at the coffee house. It was a small operation run by a family. The coffee house was small and run down. Lucy and Natsu took a seat outside the coffee house, setting their bags down next to them. While they sat down, Lucy analyzed the contents of his bag. She couldn't see through it, but judging by the various positions of things, she would guess that he was quite well equipped.

"So may I know your name?" Natsu asked. Lucy hesitated for the slightest second. Should she assume the identity of the girl she killed, Cana Alberona, or should she use her real name to avoid suspicion? Her real name was really just a cover name anyways, as subjects of Project Cerberus were officially referred to by number, so she decided it would be best to use her normal name.

"I am Lucy Heartphilia," she said.

"It's nice to meet you Lucy," Natsu said, "By the way, do you happen to have any lotion? My hand is turning all red and itchy all of a sudden." Lucy cursed herself internally. She had forgotten about the toxins present in her body. When she shook hands with him, some of the poison must have made contact with his skin, causing a reaction. It would be nothing fatal, but it was in her best interest for him to not have this problem.

"Oh, you must have got it from the docks. A lot of the wooden stuff there is infested with mold that irritates the skin," Lucy lied, "Here, I'll give you some lotion to relieve it." Lucy dug around in her bag for a bottle of lotion. She normally didn't use it, but she was now glad that she took it. She also covertly took out a tiny bottle only a little bigger than a thimble that contained the antidote to her body's poisons. She placed a few drops into the lotion container and handed it to Natsu. That would be enough for now. She'd slip the antidote into his drink later.

"Thanks, it already feels better," Natsu said as he put the lotion laced with the antidote on. Lucy put on a fake smile as she took the lotion back.

They soon ordered their coffee, and they quickly began discussing their mission. Lucy created a list of some of her most recent operations to give the impression that she had been tracking the movements of Project Cerberus, as Natsu referred to her in her role as a Red Hand agent.

"In the past, what has Project Cerberus been doing? I need know what places he's been targeting," Natsu said.

Lucy suppressed the urge to laugh. _He_? Natsu thought she was a man! This was just too good.

"Well obviously we were unable to discover everything he's been doing, but we've been able to establish a few incidents as his handiwork. Within the past month, he's assassinated the mayor of Antsiranana, wiped out an entire police force in Ambatondrazka, blown up a freighter from Tanzania carrying soldiers from there, captured Warrant Officer Gray Fullbuster in Afghanistan, kidnapped Mirajane, killed Corporal Joe Powell in New York City and captured General Erza Scarlet outside Canberra. "

Natsu clenched his fists. "Whoever he is he's going to pay," he said. Their coffee arrived moments later. Natsu takes the cup and took a sip of his coffee.

As Lucy watched Natsu drink, a dreamy smile appeared on her face. She anticipated the day when she would kill him very much. She thought of how to kill him as all the fantasies of her killing him in various fashions floated through her head. Natsu then puts down his cup of coffee and noticed this.

"Are you okay?" he asked, confused by the dreamy way she was looking at him.

"Oh yes, yes I'm fine," she said quickly, "I just remembered that we need to get on our bus to go to our temporary dwelling in Toamasina. We should leave soon."

"Very well," Natsu said. Lucy glared at him out of the corner of her eye as they walked away from the coffee house. The fantasies of killing him in every imaginable way returned. She grinned at the thoughts. _Soon._

**END OF CHAPTER**

DW: Yeah, short chapter. Sorry, but the next one will be longer. Stay tune and read and review!


	6. Nightmares

DW: I would like to thank xXBleachluverXx, just-oneofthe-reader,-Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, Daydream Clouds and RebelAngel91210 for reviewing.

_**Chapter 6: Nightmares**_

Natsu arrived at the shoe shop where Lucy had secured him a job at. They are now in Toamasina, which was a small city surrounded by main population centers like Antananarivo and Fianarantsoa. Therefore it was a perfect position that would be able to monitor its nearby cities for their search for Project Cerberus. Or at least that's what Natsu thought.

In reality, Lucy is just leading him around in circles until she is able to get the information she needed from Natsu, at which point she would kill him. It will be a complicated mission since she needed to develop a relationship with Natsu in order to obtain the information, but she is confident that she would win.

Natsu looked around the shoe shop. It was a small shoe shop where he would be posing as the cobbler's apprentice. Or at least he would if the elderly cobbler who owned the shop was able to teach him anything. The old man was very frail and hard of hearing, so he spent his time in the corner of the shop, silently making shoes. The good news was that there were no other employees and the old man would never notice any of the covert activities he did here.

Natsu then walks over to a chair, grabs a shoe and hammer and starts working. He and Lucy need to blend in with the locals so that no one would suspect that they are intelligence soldiers who are searching for Project Cerberus. He had numerous surveillance devices, as did Lucy. They would be able to get accurate news about everything regarding Project Cerberus. They had their own monitoring devices as well as satellite connections to the American intelligence systems. They would lie in wait, tracking Project Cerberus until he made a mistake, at which point they would descend upon him. The mission would take a long time and was dangerous, but Natsu was confident that he could do it.

* * *

Lucy stacked crates inside the warehouse that she now worked at. The job was mundane, but she was on her own as she did it, meaning that she could conduct her work without attracting notice. She had arranged for Natsu to be employed by an old man who would not notice him very much. She had also requested the Marauder to remove most of the Red Hand presence from the small city, which he agreed to. It was the perfect atmosphere for Natsu to subconsciously let his guard down and become more likely to reveal the information she needed, at which point she would be free to eliminate him.

She wanted very much to rid the world of the American soldier. She had been raised to be a killing machine for the Marauder and she did not like the idea of working with an enemy of her boss. She believed every enemy to the Red Hand needs to be killed in sight immediately. She hoped that she will be able to obtain the information she needed from Natsu soon.

She suddenly felt a slight buzzing at her side. She pulled out a communication device and clicked it on.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked.

"You have a priority message from the Marauder," the voice at the other end said. Lucy frowned; what could her boss possibly want?

"Okay, connect me to him," she instructed. There was a crackle of static, but then she heard the Marauder's voice coming from the device.

"Hello Lucy, I trust your mission is in place?" he said.

"Yes my master, I have secured all the necessary arrangements. I am in position for any additional orders," Lucy said.

"You have done well. Given the circumstances, I think that perhaps you should accelerate the plans and begin courting a relationship with Natsu Dragneel," the Marauder said. Lucy nearly shuddered in disgust. She had been hoping that she would be able to extract the necessary information from him before it came to that, but now it seemed that she would have little choice in the matter.

"When do you wish it to be done?" Lucy asked.

"I think that one month of courtship should be able to bring him close enough to begin such a relationship. I wish you luck. Farewell." The transmission then cut off. Lucy scowled; she couldn't believe what she was being required to do. She hoped that she would be able to retrieve the information she needed before then. If not, she would simply have to go through that indignity and kill Natsu even more painfully than she would have normally as punishment for making her do that in order to gain the information from him.

* * *

That night, Natsu and Lucy returned to their apartment after work. Both of them went to bed early but that night, both were troubled by horrible dreams.

_**Natsu's Dream**_

_**(Mogadishu, Somalia)**_

_**(Five Years Ago)**_

_There was loud firing and explosions everywhere throughout the streets of Mogadishu. It was an intense battle between the Americans and the Red Hand. The American military has deployed a military unit called the Fairy Tail unit to infiltrate the streets of Mogadishu to destroy the Red Hand's base and put an end to their Apophis experiment._

_A fourteen year old Natsu, Gray, Mirajane, Gerard and seven other soldiers quickly run over to a large barricade and hide behind it while several Red Hand members furiously fire their weapons at them. Most of the shots landed on the barricade while some flew above the barricade._

"_Alright everyone! The Red Hand base is just a few metres away from us!" Natsu yelled to his teammates as he points to a run-down apartment building just a few metres away from their position._

"_What should we do Sergeant?" Gray asked Natsu._

"_We will send someone into the building to plant a C4 bomb and destroy the base, along with all the data related to the Apophis experiment!" Natsu replied. "Mirajane!" Mirajane nodded solemnly. She quickly dug her hand around her backpack and took out a C4 and hands it to Natsu._

"_Who will volunteer to plant the bomb, Sergeant?" Gerard asked._

"_Laxus will do it." Natsu nodded._

"_What? Me?" A blonde-haired soldier named Laxus Dreyar asked nervously._

"_Are you kidding me? Laxus can't do jack shit!" Gray yelled._

"_Come on Gray. Give him a chance! I'm sure he can do it." Natsu said to Gray. He turns to Laxus and hands the bomb to Laxus. Laxus stared at Natsu nervously._

"_Are you sure I can do this, Sarge?" Laxus asked shaking._

"_I'm sure you can." Natsu smiled and pat his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll give you cover. NOW GO!"_

_Laxus nodded frantically. He runs out of the barricade and head towards the building._

"_Alright! FIRE AT WILL!" Natsu yelled to his remaining soldiers. Everyone stood up, draw out their rifles at fire at the Red Hand members. Immediately, there were screams and yells of pain as the Red Hand members one by one fell to the ground. _

_Natsu and his men then jump over the barricade and charged at the remaining Red Hand members who are still standing. Natsu hits a Red Hand member in the gut with the butt of his rifle, then knee him in the face and punches him to the ground. Mirajane punches a member in the face while Gray tackles one member to the ground._

_As the soldiers finish off the remaining Red Hand members, everyone stopped when they heard a soaring sound coming from the sky._

_Natsu looked up and widens his eyes when he sees a two jet planes flying towards the building._

"_What?! They are sending the air support already?!" Natsu yelled in shock. He turns to the Red Hand base and remembers that Laxus is still in the building._

"_NO!" Natsu yelled as he runs over to the building._

"_Natsu! Stop!" Mirajane cried. It was too late for Natsu as the jet planes fire their missiles at the building and Natsu fell to the ground as the building exploded into bits._

_After the smoke is cleared, Natsu stood up and widens his eyes in disbelief as the building is now engulfed in flames. No one could have survived the explosion._

"_LAXUS!!!"_

Natsu gasped, violently jolted upright. His body was sweating and his breathing was heavy. He removed the sheets and got out from his bed. He hated those dreams about that incident five years ago. He decided to walk out to the balcony and have some fresh air.

* * *

_**Lucy's Dream**_

_**(Manchester, England, United Kingdom)**_

_**(Five Years Ago)**_

_A twelve-year old Lucy was laughing as she was sitting on a couch watching TV. Suddenly, Lucy heard the door opened. She turned around and sees her parents running over to her._

"_Mom? Dad?" Lucy asked puzzled. Her father quickly turned off the TV while her mother grabbed Lucy by the hand and everyone walked up the stairs._

"_Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Lucy asked._

"_Don't ask any questions, darling!" Lucy's father said, panicking. Everyone entered Lucy's parents' room. The couple quickly opened their wooden cupboard and hide Lucy inside._

"_Mom?! Dad?! What's going on?!" Lucy asked, completely confused._

"_Just stay inside! Whatever you do, don't come out!" Lucy's mother cried_

"_And keep quiet!" Lucy's father added before they both shut the cupboard doors._

_Lucy sat down and shivered in fear. She had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, she heard a burst coming from the door. She could hear her parents gasp._

"_Where is she?!" A voice that Lucy couldn't recognize yelled._

"_We have no idea what you are talking about!" Lucy's father yelled._

"_We have no children!" Lucy's mother added._

"_LIAR!"_

_**BANG!!!**_

_Lucy screamed as she covered her ears from the sudden burst._

_**BANG!!!**_

_There it is again._

_When it was over, Lucy looked through the blinds of the cupboard and widens her eyes when she sees two figures standing above her parents, both now lying on the ground with blood pouring out from their gun wounds._

"_MOM!!! DAD!!!" Lucy screamed with tears in her eyes. She burst out of the cupboard and run over to her parents. "Mom! Dad! Don't leave me!"_

_Her mother slowly turned her head to Lucy and gasped, "Lucy…run…" Her eyes then closed and her head slumped to the side._

"_NO!!!" Lucy screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "MOM! DAD!" The two figures then grab Lucy by her arms and dragged her away from her now dead parents. "No! Let me go! Mom! Dad! Help me!!!"_

* * *

Lucy's eyes shot open and gasped as she jolted upright. She glanced around, reminding herself where she was. She growled and punched the pillow she had been sleeping on. She hated the dreams she had of her parents' death. Not only did they make her feel horrible, they highlighted her weakness.

Sighing, Lucy got out from bed and decided to walk out to the balcony to get some fresh air.

* * *

Both Natsu and Lucy walk out of their rooms and lift their heads up when they are standing right in front of each other.

"Can't sleep huh?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah." Lucy sighed.

"Want to sit at the balcony with me?" Natsu asked, gesturing to the two chairs placed at the balcony. Lucy nodded. The two then walk over to the balcony and sit down on their chairs, looking up at the night sky.

"So why are you up?" Natsu asked Lucy.

"Bad dream." Lucy muttered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"No, it's just a bad childhood memory." Lucy replied. Natsu gave a nod of understanding.

"Did you have a bad childhood?" he asked. Lucy hesitated, unsure of how to reply.

"I was raised at an orphanage," she said. That was sort of true, as she became an orphan after her parents were brutally killed and there were no parents at the facility that raised her and the other children of Project Cerberus.

"I see." Natsu nodded.

"What about you? Why are you up?" Lucy asked Natsu.

"Bad dream as well." Natsu said.

"What is it about?"

"Well, it was a bad memory. It happened five years ago in Mogadishu. I was a squad leader of a unit sent to take down the Red Hand base. But one of my teammates lost his life during the operation. I blamed myself for his death and decided to quit the military because of that. Since then, I was haunted by his death and couldn't get over it." Natsu closed his eyes and lowers his head.

Lucy widens her eyes. She had no idea that Natsu also had been through a horrible experience and lost someone he cared about. _He's just like me. _She thought. She then internally slapped herself. What was she thinking? He was nothing like her! He was an enemy to the Red Hand. They are enemies. He is also just a normal human while she is an extraordinary agent with extraordinary powers.

Still, she did feel some level of connection towards him. He was likely closer to her than anyone else on earth in terms of the situations that he and Lucy had. She sighed internally. She would have to get over these feelings of a connection to him if she was to perform her mission successfully. After all, Natsu would be killed in the end anyways, so there was no point in feeling any special connection to him. Like her emotional connection to her parents, any mental bond to him, even subconsciously, would weaken her as an agent, and she had no intention of letting that happen.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	7. Complications

DW: I would like to thank just-oneofthe-reader, xXBleachluverXx, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, Im-Too-Emo-For-This, stardom, NotoriousRejuvination, Syaoran07 and WaterPanda for reviewing.

_**Chapter 7: Complications**_

It's been a week since Lucy has been given the order to court Natsu into revealing the information she needed, and she was still unable to think of a way to do it. Aside from her disdain of the concept and lack of knowledge how to actually court him, she didn't see how her courting him would make it any easier to retrieve the information. The information she needed was the location of the World Leader summit, not exactly information typically shared over romantic conversation. If it were up to Lucy, she would simply imprison Natsu and torture him into giving her the information. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to Lucy, it was up to her master. And she has no choice but to follow his orders. She would go to hell and back before betraying her master. Lucy had been ordered to court Natsu, and that was what she would do.

She didn't have to like it though, and she very much hoped that she could retrieve the necessary information without going through that. She had already gone onto his computer the previous night and sabotaged his investigation efforts by blocking certain areas from his surveillance. She was able to do this without being noticed, and she felt that it was a testament to her skill. She didn't want to court Natsu; she felt she could do the job without resorting to that. It was what the Marauder ordered however, so she would of course do it.

* * *

Natsu looked over the satellite information that fed into his computer with frustration. Most of the information was fine, but one particular area at Fianarantsoa region was completely out of satellite view. It didn't make any sense; the satellites used by the US military were supposed to perfectly map out and survey all land on earth in great detail, yet an entire region had somehow defied it.

At first Natsu had thought it was a glitch or a coincidental blind spot, but then he realized that most of the information on that region was missing from his computer. He didn't think that the technicians of the military would forget to connect him to such important information. All that was there were a few environmental surveys, a short report on a small-scale munitions test, and maps from over fifty years earlier. It wasn't nearly enough information for him, and he suspected that something was going on there.

On top of that, he was still no nearer to finding Project Cerberus. It frustrated him immensely. He certainly knew beforehand that finding him would be no easy task, but the lack of information as to who Project Cerberus was or where he might be completely baffled him. Natsu kept rereading the list of acts that were believed to have been committed by the elusive agent.

_Canberra- Colonel Ian Hughes killed. General Erza Scarlet goes missing, believed captured._

_New York- Corporal Joe Powell killed._

_Denver- Staff Sergeant Mirajane goes missing, believed captured._

_Kabul- Warrant Officer Gray Fullbuster goes missing, believed captured. 7 other US soldiers killed._

_Dar es Salaam- Tanzanian freighter bombed, 20 killed._

_Ambatondrazka- Police Station bombed, 157 killed._

_Antsiranana- Mayor Lucas Rydenina killed._

_Cape Town- Local businesses burned down, 3 killed._

_Houston- Opera singer Sol killed._

_Algiers- British freighter bombed; 23 killed._

_Johannesburg- Lieutenant Jose Porla killed._

_Moscow- Russian General Erigor killed._

_Detroit- Warrant Officer Gerard Fernandes goes missing, believed captured._

_Venice- 14 Italian government officials killed._

_Manchester- Lieutenant Sherry Blendi killed._

_Kigali- Homes of local leaders burned, 6 killed._

_Yerevan- Safety advisor at nuclear power plant killed._

The list went on and on, describing hundreds of bombings, killings, and kidnappings attributed to Project Cerberus. The idea that one person could do so much was mind numbing, and there was no clear connection between them that would bring him closer to Project Cerberus. He couldn't find a clear connection that may hint the true identity of Project Cerberus or where he came from. The acts occurred all over North America, Africa, Australia and Europe, and there was no clear pattern to them.

The killing of his former comrades was obvious in terms of purpose, but what about the government officials and local leaders who are killed? What about the businesses that were burned down? What about the freighters that were bombed? What was the motivation for the killing of an opera singer? It didn't make sense, and Natsu was becoming increasingly frustrated. What frustrated him even more though was the fact that Lucy was not being particularly helpful.

Of course it was natural that Lucy did not divulge the information she had upon first meeting a new partner, as would any good agent, but he had thought that after they spent some time working together they would build up some trust that would allow her to confide her knowledge to him. He could tell that she was not particularly fond of him, and he wasn't too pleased with her attitude himself. He wanted to find Project Cerberus as soon as possible, and to do that, he would need Lucy's information. He needed to get closer to Lucy, and he had an idea how…

* * *

"Hi Natsu, I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date with me to obtain information." Lucy said to herself in the mirror, "No wait, that won't work. Hey Natsu, you're looking sexy tonight; you look as attractive as Barack Obama, speaking of which, where is he travelling to this year?" Lucy slapped herself in the head, growling at her lack of knowledge about this stuff.

Lucy is designed to be a killing machine. She has no knowledge on how to interact with other men and engaged in social situations. She has no idea how to interact with Natsu convincingly.

"Natsu, do you want to go on a date?" Lucy said, "I hear that there is a restaurant at which there is food. I enjoy eating food with you, especially while discussing travel locations," Lucy said tensely.

She was beginning to get angry. She may not know a thing about asking somebody out, but she was pretty sure she was doing it wrong. Even if she did know how to properly ask him out, it would seem suspicious to do so in the middle of an important mission. Everything seemed hopeless. How did her master expect her to do this? There was a knock on the door. Sighing, Lucy opened it.

Natsu stood at the doorway fidgeting nervously.

"Uh, hey Lucy, I was kinda hungry, so I was thinking that maybe you'd like to have dinner with me…" he said. Lucy was in a daze for a minute before answering.

"Yes…yes of course," she said, immensely relieved at this turn of events.

_It's like he's doing my work for me!_

**END OF CHAPTER**


	8. Dinner

DW: I would like to thank just-oneofthe-reader, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, RebelAngel91210, xXBleachluverXx, NotoriousRejuvination, Syaoran07 and stardom for reviewing.

_**Chapter 8: Dinner**_

Both Natsu and Lucy are now sitting in front of each other in a small private room in a small restaurant. Lucy watched as Natsu eats a piece of bread.

There was a large amount of food in front of them, and the room was private so they didn't have to worry about being overheard, yet neither of them did anything. Neither of them was skilled in social situations. Both had never experienced that in a long time since Lucy spent five years of her life as an assassin while Natsu hasn't spoken much to anyone since the incident. They both wanted information from the other, but these situations were very delicate and couldn't be rushed into.

They both felt highly awkward. Neither of them knew what to do or what to say. But Natsu decided to put down the piece of bread and begin the conversation.

"So…what is this?" Natsu said as he uses his spoon to prod what appeared to be a plate of shredded cassava leaves with pork.

"That is Ravitoto, which is shredded cassava leaves with pork." Lucy said, using her knowledge of foods from the books she'd read.

"Are they good?" Natsu asked.

Lucy hesitated for a moment. Since she spent five years of her life as an assassin after the death of her parents, she haven't actually eaten these foods for a long time. She'd never really eaten any real food for five years besides the occasional drink or piece of bread. In those five years, Lucy subsisted almost entirely on a substance developed by the Marauder's scientists called 'graer weive'. It was a highly nutritious substance that provided Lucy with all of her nutritional needs; anything else she ate was just for the sake of blending in. Graer weive looked a bit like grey felt, though it didn't taste nearly as good. Lucy had eaten virtually nothing aside from this, so she had no knowledge of what the food in front of her tasted like.

"It's…okay." Lucy said nervously. Natsu shrugged and took a bite of the Ravitoto. He nodded his head in approval.

"It tastes pretty good." Natsu said. "Do you want to eat? You haven't eat anything since we got here." He offered Lucy a dumpling.

Lucy hesitated, seeing the dumpling In front of her. She has no fond in eating this since she hadn't eaten real food in a long time. She had never had any real food beyond coffee, tea, plain bread, and an occasional beet.

However, Lucy knew she had to act normal or Natsu will find her suspicious. Lucy watched as Natsu took another bite of the Ravitoto, still holding out the dumpling to Lucy. Natsu was watching her, and she didn't want to give herself away. She knew she would have to take it if she were to appear normal.

Lucy takes the dumpling and examines it. It's yellow and is filled with seafood and vegetables in it. Lucy looks at it in disdain. She then shut her eyes tightly, raised the dumpling into her mouth and took a bite.

Suddenly, Lucy widened her eyes in surprise as she bit off the piece of the dumpling. Her mouth felt funny; there were strange sensations on her tongue. It was amazing. Lucy slowly chewed the piece of dumpling reveling this feeling. She knew it to be the sense of taste she was feeling, but she never would have imagined it to be like this. She swallowed and took another bite. It tasted amazing! The flavor was unbelievable. Nothing she had ever eaten before could compare to this!

Soon, Lucy finished the dumpling and took another one. After finishing that one, she took another, followed by another. Soon she had eaten all of the dumplings at the table. She looked at the other foods. She has finally regretted not eating any real food in those five years she had spent. She got to have more…

Natsu watched as Lucy began completely pigging out on the food before her. She ate several bowls of various soups and stews followed by some noodles in a sauce. Natsu was rather amused at the high speed at which she ate; it was quite a departure from her normal serious demeanor. Nevertheless, Natsu knew he had to get to business, and while Lucy was in this informal state it would be easier to get answers.

"Lucy, I was wondering, do you happen to have any satellite readouts on region-" he was cut off by Lucy grabbing a small dish of meatballs to his side. She ate them all in mere seconds.

"Okay, how about Project Cerberus's lack of activities in the Fianarantsoa region; do you think that it means anything or is it just the remoteness of the-" Natsu was again cut off as Lucy grabbed a plate of stuffed cabbage from in front of him, her eyes bugging out as she ate it.

Lucy couldn't believe it. So many flavors; so many textures; it was all so good! How could she have missed out on it all these years? This stuff was wonderful! She was a bit self-conscious of having dropped her business-like demeanor, but she didn't care; as long as she could keep eating this delicious food, she was happy.

"Um, so do you have any ideas about Project Cerberus's motives for killing-" Natsu was again interrupted, but this time by a cry of pain. Lucy was frozen in place, her eyes wide and a half-finished piece of smoked fish in front of her.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" Natsu asked.

Lucy couldn't hear him though, her head seemed to be filled with a blank buzz. What was this feeling? It was like she had been punched in the gut while simultaneously having her insides suddenly expand. She felt very stiff all of a sudden, as well as rather sluggish. Why was she feeling this? Was it all the food she ate?

"Lucy? Are you okay?" Natsu asked. Lucy snapped out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, but I think we should leave right now!" Lucy said. They hastily paid for the food and rushed back to their apartment.

* * *

Upon arriving back at their apartment, Lucy rushed into the bathroom and shuts the door. Natsu stood outside of the bathroom and winced everytime he heard Lucy vomited violently in the toilet.

Ten minutes later, Lucy slams open the bathroom door and furiously walks pass Natsu.

"Ate too much huh?" Natsu asked as he watches Lucy. As Lucy arrived at the door of her room, she turns to Natsu with a cold glare. She is incredibly angry right now and has no mood in listening to Natsu.

"I'm going to sleep! Good night!" Lucy said angrily. She enters her room and closes the door. Natsu sighed and walked back to his own room.

Lucy was certainly a strange girl. Natsu wasn't quite sure what to think of her. She was doubtlessly a skilled agent, yet she pretended to be in the dark about a lot of things. She presented herself in a cold and business-like fashion, yet later had completely pigged out. She was indeed a very strange girl, and Natsu decided that he'd very much like to get to know her better.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	9. Fallen

DW: I would like to thank just-one of the-reader, xXBleachluverXx, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, Im-Too-Emo-For-This, NotoriousRejuvination, blackstar822 and Syaoran07 for reviewing. Anyways, for the lateness of this chapter. I've been writing my other stories until I realized that I forgotten about this one. So, you guys can beat me up for forgetting it. XD

_**Chapter 9: Fallen**_

Lucy shuddered to herself as she lay in bed after a meal of smoked salmon. It was delicious, but the effects it had on her body were highly unpleasant.

Lucy was disgusted with herself. To her, this was a shameful weakness in her. When she ate good food, she seemed to lose all of the self-control and professionalism she had learned over her years of training and conditioning. She would eat large quantities for the sheer enjoyment of the flavor, which Lucy viewed as a highly inappropriate action on her part. Lucy was not meant to be happy. She was meant to do her job, nothing more. For her to pursue happiness, even if it was only out of enjoyment from food, was to betray her master's wishes. Lucy did not want that, and she was determined to overcome this weakness of her's.

Lucy felt great anger towards Natsu. This was _his_ fault. If not for him, she wouldn't have to go through all of these indignities. She was expected to _court_ him, an idea she found more disgusting by the minute. Sure, she had tried to get a bit closer to him, but found herself unable to follow through with anything. She just didn't have the social skills to do it properly.

This frustration turned into more anger towards Natsu, enough so that she had almost stopped giving him the antidote to her body's poisons. Lucy had been slipping the antidote into his food and drink for some time now, protecting him from her body's natural poisons. However, the antidote only prevented his body from reacting to the poison, and the poison was still there. If she stopped giving him the antidote, he would die. She thought of maybe withholding the antidote for a little while; just to make him suffer a bit, but that would run the risk of killing him, and then she would be unable to retrieve the information she needed from him. She just didn't know what to do. She had no idea how to approach him, and anything she did might end up giving her away.

As Lucy thought to herself of how she could get over these urges she was having for normal human things and how to approach Natsu, she heard a knock on the door. She growled and got up to get it. It was probably Natsu. Even though they shared an apartment, they still tended to knock on the door so as to be sure that it was them and not someone else. Grumbling to herself, Lucy walked to the door.

* * *

Natsu stood nervously outside the door to the apartment. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. It was the only thing he could think of that might work for getting information from Lucy. It went against his personal standards as well, but he couldn't deny that he was somewhat excited about it for reasons he couldn't really explain.

The door opened and he walked in. Lucy closed the door and crossed her arms. Natsu turned to her and opened his mouth to speak, but found the words stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth again, but again he couldn't seem to say the words.

"What? What do you want?" Lucy asked irritably. Natsu gulped; perhaps this was not the best time. Of course, if he didn't do it now, when would he? No, he would do it now.

"I…I've noticed that recently you have begun to approach me and then stop. I've also seen you looking at me for prolonged periods," Natsu said. Lucy scowled.

"What of it?" Lucy asked coldly.

"Well, I've been getting the impression that…that you might _like_ me," Natsu said, his eyes closed tightly as he expected anger from Lucy at him. He opened his eyes to see Lucy staring in surprise at him.

"I…You… To me… You…you must be under the wrong impression, I have no such feelings," Lucy stuttered. Her anxiousness proved to Natsu that she was interested in him.

"I know it's against protocol, but if you have feelings, you should let them out," Natsu said. Lucy remained silent. He took a deep breath; this was it. He leaned forward and gave Lucy a quick kiss on the lips. It was not much of a kiss, just a little peck. He backed off immediately, watching Lucy's reaction.

She had no visible reaction. She just stood with a shocked look on her face. Her eyes were staring off into space and she seemed to be in a daze. Natsu panicked. He knew he shouldn't have done that! It was completely inappropriate on his part! What on earth made him do that? He wanted information from her, so why did he do something that so obviously alienated her from him. He quickly tried to correct his mistake.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me! What I did was wrong and highly inappropriate! I-" Natsu was cut off when Lucy's lips crashed into his. His eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise.

Lucy embraced him and passionately kissed him. Her mouth was firmly pressed against him, kissing him fiercely with great intensity. Natsu was unsure what was going on, but in the heat of the moment, found himself kissing her back. Lucy's hands reached all over him, touching and feeling his body. He couldn't help but like it. He suddenly felt himself being pushed onto the couch as Lucy leaned against him, kissing with great ferocity and now pressing her body against his. Natsu was becoming light-headed from the suddenness of all of this.

Suddenly Lucy stopped, her eyes wide. Natsu stopped too, and only then fully realized exactly how close they had been. They were both bright red. Their bodies were entwined with each other, and their clothes had begun to come off in the heat of the moment. Their hair was a mess, and they were both panting.

Lucy opened her mouth but found she couldn't say anything. She opened her mouth again, but nothing came out. Natsu tried to speak too, but he was just as stunned, unable to say anything.

"I…have to go," Lucy said, running to her room. Natsu sat up on the couch, in something of a daze from what had just happened.

* * *

Lucy ran into her room and slammed the door behind her and locked it. She sat down on her bed and put a hand to her face, which was still flushed. What was that? What on earth just happened? Surely that wasn't normal behavior. Had she given herself away? She hoped not, for if she had everything she had done would be for nothing. But more concerning for her was the question of what the hell happened to her?

When Natsu kissed her, she felt such ferocity flowing through her body. And soon after that, she found herself kissing him back as if she wanted more. She couldn't resist that feeling. What was that feeling? Why is this happening to her? Could it be she has finally fallen for Natsu, the enemy?

She lied down on the bed, closing her eyes and running a hand through her hair. This was very confusing for her, but on a positive note, at least she didn't have to worry about how she would get together with Natsu anymore…

**END OF CHAPTER**


	10. Love

DW: I would like to thank blackstar822, Syaoran07, xXBleachluverXx, RebelAngel91210, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, Im-Too-Emo-For-This, NotoriousRejuvination, DetroitBleachWings and stardom for reviewing. And thanks for your opinions!

_**Chapter 10: Love**_

Natsu and Lucy barely spoke for the next several days. Both were in shock after what had happened between them. Neither knew what to think of it or what to do next.

Natsu had intended to merely develop affection from her so that he could obtain the information he needed. He needed to know why Project Cerberus killed those people including a truck driver, an opera singer and those government officials. He also need to know why the entire region of Fianarantsoa was missing from his scans. And to do so, he need to have Lucy's cooperation.

Lucy was particularly resistant to divulging the needed information, and Natsu was growing increasingly frustrated. It was their job to work as a team towards finding Project Cerberus, yet they had done virtually nothing to accomplish that goal with each other; all of their work was independent from one another. This was greatly reducing their efficiency, which was why Natsu had chosen to attempt to make Lucy attracted to him.

Natsu knew that romance was a powerful influence on a person's mind, and he was confident that if he could only make Lucy become attracted to him, she would divulge the information he needed. It was easier said than done. Such relationships went against protocol, and he knew he would have to tread carefully and not give himself away. He was subtle about it, slowly attempting to attract Lucy to him. It appeared that it was working, as he had seen Lucy looking intently at him. He took it slowly nonetheless, as Lucy was not the type of person to let one's feelings loose all at once. Or so he thought.

Lucy's reaction to his light kiss took him completely by surprise. He had been hoping to get a sudden emotional response from her in reaction to the unexpected act, but not on the scale that he received. He had given her barely a peck of a kiss, but she had turned it into what was perhaps the most passionate kiss of his life. Any doubts of her feelings towards him were wiped away now. She had initiated a very intimate kiss that bordered on making out, probably crossing that border. It was…unexpected, as he had not expected such a response, but also because of the feelings he was now beginning to have.

When their lips met, Natsu felt as if a huge wave of icy water had crashed through his whole body, making him numb and his mind hazy. He lost all control of himself and soon found himself kissing Lucy back. Natsu shivered as he thought of the feelings it aroused in him. When it had stopped, he felt as though he had just stepped out of a pool of freezing cold water. Everything seemed surreal somehow, like things were different now than before.

Natsu was unsure why, but he was suddenly much more entranced by Lucy than before. Though they had been avoiding each other after the incident, every time he caught a glimpse of her, it seemed to last a thousand years, and when it was over, he wished he had more time. He found himself admiring her body in ways he had not before. Sure, she was attractive and he had known that she was a very fit person, but these thoughts were magnified whenever he saw her now. He found himself entranced with her. Her skin, soft and creamy; her hair, a rich blonde; her eyes, a soft brown that could convey a number of emotions; her streamlined figure and lean but muscular arms and legs; they all shouted out to him, demanding that he go to her immediately.

It was an urge that he was barely able to suppress. This wasn't supposed to have happened. The idea of his plan was for Lucy to become entranced with him, not the other way around. He was only attempting to attract her so that he could gain information, not because he actually liked her. But regardless of what he intended, he could not deny that he was developing strong romantic feelings for Lucy.

Natsu paced his room for several minutes, thinking feverishly what he could do. Finally, he just threw himself on the bed in exhaustion. He didn't know what he could do, only that he would have to figure out his feelings quickly, as he had a job to do and couldn't let them get in the way.

--

Lucy could not believe what she was about to do. She knew that she was likely going to end up in this situation for a while, yet it still took her by surprise. The Marauder had given her a month to court Natsu, and she had been hoping to somehow obtain the information before then, but now the deadline was mere days away, and she needed to rapidly make him reveal the information, and there was only one way to do that, as much as she detested the idea. The Marauder needed the information for an important plan he had been working on and had dedicated years of planning to, and Lucy felt partially responsible for holding her master's marvelous dream back. She would do anything to fix it for him, even go through this indignity.

It was not so much the act itself that disturbed Lucy; it was the feelings that she had begun to develop that bothered her. When Natsu gave her that tiny kiss, Lucy felt as if an electric shock had gone through her body. She was stunned by the act and the way it made her feel. Without even realizing it, she had initiated a kiss of her own, this one far more passionate. The next thing she knew, she was panting, flushed, and feeling extremely energized.

Lucy was confused about these feelings. She wasn't meant to feel emotions, let alone romantic ones. They only distracted a person from their duties, which was why she was attempting to attract Natsu to her. What she hadn't expected was for her to have become just as emotionally attracted to Natsu as he was to her. She knew that he held strong feelings for her, which somehow magnified her own feelings.

Lucy simply didn't understand. These feelings were like those a person in love would feel, yet that couldn't be it. Lucy didn't believe in love. She knew all about the biological processes that made up what some would call love. She thought she was immune to these, but apparently she was not.

Growling in frustration, Lucy went into the bathroom to take a shower. She undressed and got in. The warm water calmed her tense muscles somewhat, and it was very pleasant. She reached down to the side of the shower, where a bottle of special soap that she had prepared was. The soap contained the antidote to Lucy's natural poisons. Lucy had been slipping the antidote into Natsu's food as she usually did, but tonight they would be engaged in activities that would result in much more contact than normal. Thus, it was necessary to completely treat herself with the antidote so as to ensure Natsu's safety. It was a hastle, but she knew it must be done. After she rubbed the antidote soap into her skin, she rinsed off the foam and stepped out of the shower.

She dried off and put on the clothing she had chosen for tonight. She had already planned what she was going to say and do, but still found herself nervous. She walked out of the bathroom and into the living room, stopping outside Natsu's room. She took a deep breath. This was it.

--

Natsu was lying on the bed in his nightclothes when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Natsu grunted. The door opened and a figure slowly walked in. Natsu sat up.

"Lucy wha-" his voice caught in his throat upon seeing Lucy. She was wearing skintight black pants and a tank top that left most of her stomach exposed. Her hair was hanging freely. Natsu could not help but stare at her in awe. She looked so…beautiful. Natsu could barely speak as Lucy began slowly striding towards him. His mind began to feel foggy again. Lucy sat next to him and flashed him a quick smile.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, attempting to fight the strong urges he felt.

In response, Lucy leaned forward and kissed him. Natsu found himself kissing back. Their tongues danced with each other as their hands roamed over their bodies. Their arms wrapped around each other, pressing their bodies together tightly. They kissed with great ferocity, moaning into each other's mouths. They were both becoming quite foggy-minded, becoming engrossed in the moment. Lucy found herself losing the control she had hoped to maintain, and soon cried out in satisfaction from the way all of this was making her feel.

This seemed to snap Natsu back to his senses and made him realize exactly what they were doing. He barely remembered how this had happened, only that their bodies were now entwined in a _very_ intimate position.

"Lucy, what on earth is going on?" Natsu said, pulling himself away in shock, "Why are you doing this?"Lucy smiled at him.

"I'm just doing what you said before. 'If you have feelings, you should let them out.'"

**END OF CHAPTER**


	11. No Doubt It's True Love

DW: I would like to thank xXBleachluverXx, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, DetroitBleachWings, Syaoran07, xXNamlessAngelXx, xjakx, RebelAngel91210 and DragonSabre for reviewing. Thanks guys!

_**Chapter 11: No Doubt It's True Love**_

The early morning sun was shining through the window and birds were chirping outside joyfully. Overall, it was a very happy and tranquil atmosphere. Despite this, Lucy was not feeling tranquil at all as she lay in bed naked with Natsu.

They had fallen asleep facing each other with their arms wrapped around each other and their bodies pressed firmly together. Lucy dared not move out of fear that she would wake him up. Thus, she merely watched his sleeping face as she thought furiously to herself what she would do next.

She couldn't believe herself. She was angry with herself for going through with this, as there were other ways that she could have obtained the information she needed. She didn't have to degrade herself like this. But in a way she was actually _glad_ that she did this, which was what made her angry most of all. She had actually _enjoyed_ it. That wasn't supposed to have happened. It was meant to be a chore for no other purpose than to obtain information, not a pleasurable experience. She was supposed to have hated it and feel degraded by it, yet she had never felt more alive in her life!

Lucy was absolutely furious with herself. It wasn't just the knowledge of what she had done or the indignity of having enjoyed it; it was what had happened afterwards.

_Lucy and Natsu were flushed and panting. They held each other in their arms and were gazing into each other's eyes._

"_Oh Natsu…" Lucy said dreamily._

"_Lucy…" Natsu said back. They were both panting heavily, exhausted from the passionate actions they just did._

"_I…I love you," Lucy said, giving him a kiss._

_"I…love you too, Lucy," Natsu said. They kissed and embraced before falling asleep in each other's arms._

Lucy's face was in a deep scowl as she thought of the memory, unable to believe herself. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ She mentally berated herself. Why on earth had she said that? Natsu was so foggy minded from sex that he would have told her anything! She could have asked him all about everything she needed to know and he would have answered her in an instant without even thinking about it! She could have finished this mission right there! His foggy mind would have spilled all of the information she needed, yet she didn't take advantage of that! Instead she had said "I love you" to him.

Why the hell had she said that? She didn't feel that way about him! She didn't feel that way about anybody! She existed for the purpose of serving the Marauder and the Red Hand with her life, not to experience happiness or love. She didn't believe in love; as far as she was concerned it was only a false emotion brought on by biological urges.

But still…she couldn't deny that there was _something_ that made her inexplicably drawn to him. Perhaps it was a case of solidarity towards him due to his being raised in a similar situation. Perhaps it was her biological urges to mate that may or may not still exist in her. Perhaps she was just sick and wasn't herself. Or maybe it really was love…

No! That was impossible! She didn't believe in love. They are both enemies and both belong in two different worlds. They are different, there was no disputing that. It was impossible for them to ever end up together, even if she really wanted to…

No, no, no! That's not what she meant to think! She didn't want to be with him! She hated him as an enemy, and as a person who had confused her with such an amazing experience and for giving her sensations the likes of which she had never had before.

Argh! There she went again! Thinking of last night as an enjoyable experience! It couldn't be that way! It was degrading to her mastery of skills as an agent for her to have to go through such an experience of primal urges, of giving into crude biological urges, of moaning in intense passion and pleasure…

_Woah! What the hell?!_ She had to stop thinking about this. Everything she thought seemed to lead back to this unnatural attraction to Natsu. No, it wasn't an attraction, it was…she didn't know what, but it sure as hell wasn't anything romantic in nature! Okay, so maybe she did enjoy it on the physical level; after all, the body naturally felt these things when stimulated down there, but that had nothing to do with actual attraction, just lust.

But then why did she experience such amazing feelings from just being in his presence? Even now, with no physical stimuli, she still felt immense gratification from being this close to him, from watching his sleeping features, from feeling their skin pressed together, from the feel of his strong arms holding on to her. What was happening? There was no doubt about it, no matter how much she hated the idea, there was a definite attraction to Natsu. She had no idea of what it was or whether it was real or imaginary, but she certainly knew it was there.

This was bad. She had sworn her loyalty to her master. She couldn't afford to risk becoming emotionally attached to Natsu. She reminded herself that by the end of this mission, Natsu would be dead by her hands. Any relationship she built with him would be pointless, no matter how much gratification she gained from it.

She suddenly felt that familiar feeling of electricity coursing through her body as something touched her between the legs. She looked down to see _it_ swelling up again. She looked at Natsu.

"You're awake, aren't you?" Lucy said. He opened his stunning black eyes and gazed into her brown ones.

"Sorry, I didn't know how you'd react if you knew I was awake," Natsu said.

"I take it you're thinking of last night?" Lucy said, forcing a sarcastic tone despite the feelings she was beginning to experience throughout her body as it pressed up against her. Her mind was fogging over again.

"Oh, um…sorry about that…it does that sometimes for no apparent reason…" Natsu said extremely awkwardly.

"'No apparent reason', huh? Are you sure the fact that we're both completely naked and my breasts being pressed up against you don't have anything to do with it?" Lucy was still able to maintain a sarcastic tone, despite her increasingly foggy mind. Natsu blushed and smiled awkwardly.

"Well that may be a small factor in it…" Natsu said. This time Lucy was unable to control her desire and emotion. She wanted not only the act, she wanted him. The feelings were real, and she felt the need to act on them. She rolled over so that she was on top of him. She leaned down so that their faces were less than an inch apart.

"I wouldn't call it a 'small' part of it. In fact, I wouldn't describe anything about it as 'small'," Lucy whispered, lowering her face to his in a kiss while moving herself directly above him…

* * *

Once again, Lucy and Natsu lied naked in bed. Once again, they wore huge grins on their beet red faces and were panting heavily. They were so utterly exhausted from the extreme burst of passion that neither seemed to be able to speak. Finally Lucy managed to gasp out a few words.

"Oh…God…Natsu…you…you're so…ohhhh Natsu…Thank you!" Lucy gasped. Natsu was in a similar state.

"You…you're w-welcome! Lucy you…you were…oh Lucy, I love you so much, I…I can't believe I never re…realized it before…" Natsu panted.

"I…I love you too…" Lucy said, nuzzling her face against his neck as Natsu stroked her blonde hair. Suddenly her eyes widened in the realization of what she just said.

_NO! No, no, no! I did it again! I had him in the perfect position to reveal the information and I blew it! Why does this keep happening! I told him I loved him again when I should have been obtaining the information! Why did I do that? I don't really feel that way do I? I need some time to think about this!_

"Nat…Natsu," Lucy panted, "May…may I use your bath?"

"Yes…yes of course," Natsu said, a gentle smile on his lips. That smile nearly drove Lucy back into her previous state.

"Would you like to join me?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself. She nearly winced at her words. Natsu was silent for a moment as he thought.

"No, I don't think so," Natsu said.

_Oh thank god!_ Lucy thought, greatly relieved.

"I'll join you next time." Natsu added. Lucy inwardly flinched, but stood up off the bed, stretching. She did a few more stretches, as she was quite tense and sore from the passionate actions she had performed. She saw out of the corner of her eyes that Natsu was trying but failing to not look at her while she did this.

"It's okay, you can look," Lucy said, turning to face him. He looked at Lucy and his face turned bright red as he first saw Lucy's complete and uncovered beauty.

"You like what you see?" Lucy said, doing a few extra stretches, just to see his reaction. Natsu's eyes widened as she performed a few stretches that clearly had more visual value than exercise value.

"You're very beautiful Lucy," Natsu said. Lucy was about to do a few more 'stretches' but caught herself. She scolded herself for bothering to flirt around with him when she was trying to keep him off her mind. She hastily went into the bathroom and locked the door.

Lucy sighed and turned on the hot water. Soon the tub was filled with steamy water. She gently stepped into the soothing water and lowered herself in. She groaned in relaxation as the hot water soothed her. She sank further in until only her nose and the top of her head were above the water.

She thought of everything that had happened, of all the strange feelings and sensations she had felt recently. She analyzed every possibility in her mind, scrutinizing every aspect, and eventually reached a conclusion that shook her to her very core: she was in love.

There was no denying it anymore. She is truly in love with Natsu. His voice, his touch, his magnificent black eyes; they all called to her. She was truly and hopelessly in love.

Nothing had ever scared her more. How could she be so weak as to fall into the grips of such a thing as love? She was raised to be strong, so how could she have so utterly fallen for him? On top of that, now that she knew she loved him, what would she do next? She was still bound to the Marauder and the Red Hand, and her mission was going to end with her killing him. There was no avoiding that, she was absolutely bound to the Marauder's orders. There would be no resistance on her part in killing him.

She rubbed her head. She wished she had someone to talk to. She wished she had her parents…

Lucy took a deep breath and plunged her head underwater. Only then did she let loose the tears she had been holding in all these years. Her attraction to Natsu had torn down the wall to her humanity, and the death of her parents was overwhelming her.

Why? Why do her parents have to die? They are the only ones whom she loved and they died in front of her. This pain…this overpowering pain and sorrow she felt... It was horrible! It was far beyond mere physical pain, it felt like her very soul was being torn apart.

She couldn't handle it. Lucy stayed underwater for several minutes, taking advantage of her ability to hold her breath far longer than an ordinary human. Though they couldn't be seen underwater, tears were pouring from her eyes. Five years of pain and sorrow was catching up to her.

The pain and sorrow would soon apply to Natsu as well. She loved him, and she no longer felt the desire to kill him, but she was under the absolute control of her master. He would decide what she did, and he had already decided that after revealing the information, Natsu would die by her hands. It was unavoidable, but a question developed in Lucy's mind: Would she be able to live with herself again after killing him?

Lucy raised her head back above the water, taking a deep breath of air. She and Natsu were enemies; no amount of love would change that. The more she fell for him, the harder it would be when their destinies played out. She had to end this now, before she became even more attached to Natsu.

* * *

Natsu lay in bed, now fully clothed. It had been several hours since Lucy had gone back to her room. As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Lucy dominated his thoughts.

He couldn't believe this had happened. His newfound love for Lucy had taken him completely by surprise. There was no doubt that this was true love. Natsu has been lonely for five years after that incident, and now, he was finally found someone who he loved and cared, just like his former comrade Laxus. Natsu needed Lucy. He needed to be with her, to love her, to have her love him. He wanted to spend his entire life with her.

He sighed to himself, stretching his arms and sitting up. He found himself face-to-face with Lucy, who had apparently been there for a while. She smiled warmly at him and leaned in to give him a kiss. Their lips met blissfully, not out of lust this time, but of pure love.

"It's good to see you again my beautiful love," Natsu whispered, placing a hand on the side of her face. Her face seemed both happy yet somehow indescribably sad.

"Natsu, it's time to act. I know where Project Cerberus is," Lucy said. Natsu's eyes widened.

"What? Where?" Natsu said quickly. Lucy waited a moment before speaking.

"I've arranged passage to Antananarivo. When we arrive, your questions will be answered," Lucy said. Natsu heard something odd in her voice. Was it sadness? Regret? Sorrow? He didn't know, but he smiled at her nevertheless.

"I'll go with you, and together, we'll defeat our foe," Natsu said firmly to her, deciding that she must be worried about the upcoming confrontation. He ran off to get his things, leaving Lucy to stare after him.

"Actually, it is only me who will be defeating a foe," Lucy whispered sadly.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	12. Treachery

DW: I would like to thank RebelAngel91210, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, DetroitBleachWings, blackstar822, NotoriousRevujination and xXBleachluverXx for reviewing.

_**Chapter 12: Treachery**_

Lucy and Natsu rode on a train from Toamasina to Antananarivo. They were silent for most of the way. Natsu had fallen asleep with his head in Lucy's lap. Lucy looked down sadly at him, tears threatening to spill out.

Lucy willed the tears to stay in her eyes. It was not as if she didn't know that this was going to happen. She had been planning to kill Natsu all along, even anticipating it at times. Natsu's fate had been sealed the moment he greeted her. He was a dead man from the second he laid eyes on her. There was no preventing it now that it was so far along.

For the first time in her life, Lucy wished she were free. The Marauder made her to be his and his alone. He controlled what she did, not her. If her master wanted something, Lucy would make it happen. Lucy practically worshipped the Marauder as her personal god, but she was beginning to feel as if she were merely a slave to him. She never had even the slightest inclination to go against the Marauder's orders. She had been raised and bred to be unable to do anything against the Marauder.

Lucy fantasized of running away with Natsu to live their lives together in peace, but she knew this was an impossibility. Her upbringing, psychological manipulation, and training prevented her from doing anything that wasn't in the best interests of the Red Hand and the Marauder. If she were to attempt to go against him, the shock it put on her body might kill her.

Lucy sighed and stroked Natsu's magnificent pink hair as he slept with his head in her lap. She felt like a little girl who found a puppy she knew she could never keep.

She blinked back tears and reminded herself that this was exactly why she was doing this. Her attachment to Natsu was making her weak. She was notorious for her cold precise work and her ruthlessness, but she was losing these traits as she spent more time with Natsu. As hard as it was to let go of Natsu now, she didn't want to think how difficult it would be if they spent more time together. She needed to let go of Natsu so that she could go back to her life as an agent for the Marauder. A part of her didn't want to kill innocent people again, but it was her purpose in life. She reasoned that once Natsu was out of the picture, her efficient brand of cunning ruthlessness would resurface and she could resume her old life.

Lucy felt sick. The knowledge that she would soon be killing Natsu was making her physically ill. No matter how much she told herself that she needed to forget about him and go on with her life of assassination and murder, she just couldn't keep him out of her mind. After a long while, she came to a conclusion: She was going to end up killing him, so she'd might as well make his last peaceful night on earth happy.

* * *

Natsu returned from a brief survey of the area. Lucy had procured a small house on the outskirts of Antananarivo. She claimed that she had a lead on the location of Project Cerberus, and that it would be revealed to him the next day. He was a bit impatient, but found that he was able to overlook it with the help of his newfound love for Lucy.

Natsu returned to the house to find that the lights were mostly turned off.

"Lucy?" Natsu called.

"In the dining room Natsu," Lucy called to him. Natsu walked into the dining room. His eyes widened as he saw what was before him.

The table held food, candles, and fine wine. Next to the table stood Lucy, wearing a beautiful, elegant, and rather revealing blue dress. She smiled warmly at him.

"Won't you sit down Natsu?" Lucy said.

"Lucy…what is all of this?" Natsu asked.

"I just thought I'd give you a special night," Lucy said, giving him a wink. Natsu smiled. He had a pretty good idea what that would involve later.

Natsu and Lucy sat down at the table. Candle-light bathed the room in a warm shade of yellow. They began eating, never removing their eyes from each other. Lucy had painstakingly prepared the food before them. There were bread, dumplings with meat and mushrooms inside, and stuffed peppers for the appetizer. There were meatballs served with noodles. A soup of meat, potatoes, and cabbage gave off a wonderful aroma. To top it off was some smoked salmon with a lovely garnish. They drank fine wine with it, though Natsu was much more affected by it.

After dinner, Lucy led Natsu to their bedroom and sat down on the bed alongside one another. They looked deep within each other's eyes. Their arms came around each other as they shared a deep and loving kiss. Lucy felt that familiar sensation of electricity coursing through her body, but she was able to stay in control of herself now. Perhaps it was the true love they now shared, maybe it was sadness of what she would do the next day to him, or maybe it was the fact that she had planned it and knew what to expect this time; she didn't know. She was glad though, as this meant she could pour out the love to Natsu with all of her heart.

As they kissed on the bed, articles of clothing began coming off. Soon they were down to their undergarments. Shortly after reaching this stage, Lucy stopped kissing and looked into Natsu's brilliant black eyes.

"Natsu…I need something from you," Lucy whispered.

"What?" Natsu asked. Lucy leaned in closer to him.

"Give me all of the love from your heart," Lucy said.

"Yes Lucy," he said. Lucy could feel their hearts truly opening to each other as they lay down and kissed.

* * *

Lucy and Natsu lay in bed peacefully and blissfully. Lucy clung to Natsu, his strong arms wrapped around her. They stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"Lucy, is something wrong?" Natsu asked.

"What?" Lucy said, surprised.

"Something is wrong, I know it. I want you to tell me," Natsu said.

"I can't…" Lucy tried to explain. Natsu stroked her lovely blonde hair.

"It's okay Lucy, I understand. If you need proof in my trust in you, ask me something; anything, and I will answer," Natsu said. Lucy nodded dully but then perked up.

"Anything?" Lucy asked.

"Anything," Natsu said.

"What's your birthday?" she asked.

"June thirtieth," he answered.

"Was your hair always pink?"

"As far as I know, though my uncle swears it was purple the first few weeks after I was born."

"When did you get chicken pox?"

"When I was four."

"Have you ever worn a dress?"

"Yes, once when I was five I tried on an old dress I found," Natsu said immediately, though he blushed as he said it. Lucy was now satisfied that he'd tell her anything, but decided she'd ask one more small question before getting to the point.

"What is your favorite time of year?"

"Summer."

"Where will this year's World Leader summit be held?"

"Suntec City Convention Center at Singapore." Natsu said immediately, not even thinking about it. Suddenly his eyes shot open as he realized what he'd said.

"Wait, wha-" he was cut off when Lucy delivered a precise blow to the back of his head, knocking him out cold. She stood up and got dressed, a steely look in her eyes, now fully in her mindset of a master assassin.

"Thank you love," Lucy said, "I've enjoyed our time together, but I really must be going. The next time we meet, one of us will be killed." She smirked slightly and raced off to contact her master.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	13. Report

DW: I would like to thank xXBleachluverXx, xjakx, Syaoran07, DetroitBleachWings, RebelAngel91210 and -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl for reviewing.

_**Chapter 13: Report**_

Lucy dropped to one knee and bowed before her master. The time had come for her to deliver the information that she had worked so hard for so long to obtain.

"Your task is complete?" The Marauder said.

"Yes, my master," Lucy said, "All of my assigned contributions to your ultimate plan have been completed. You shall soon become the new God and creator of this world."

"Excellent. Have you been prepared your report as instructed?" The Marauder asked.

"Of course Master, but if you don't mind me asking, why did you wish for me to deliver it now? Certainly it would have been easier for me to deliver the information as I obtained it over these past two years."

"I wish to hear it all at once. It is much more exciting this way. Now go on, report your accomplishments."

"As you wish my master," Lucy said, "I have retrieved the command codes for all American, Japanese, French, Italian, Russian, Chinese and British military operations, including nuclear. I have convinced several African and European generals to serve us; fear has made them loyal. The ones that did not agree to serve us were killed, as were civilian rulers who were resistant. Finally, I have obtained the location of this year's annual World Summit."

The Marauder grinned widely and chuckled to himself. Lucy stayed in a bowing position.

"Brilliant work dear Lucy," he said, "You have served me well."

"Thank you my master," Lucy said, feeling immense pride from his words. Few things made her happier than her master's praise.

"Now that you've completed your task, kill the soldier who you extracted the information from."

Lucy's heart sank. She had hoped that perhaps her master would have forgotten about him. Wishful thinking she supposed; her master was not one to ignore details. Lucy panicked for a moment. She didn't want to kill Natsu, but she was absolutely bound to carry out the Marauder's orders until she was sure that they were completed. She felt trapped and frustrated. Of course she would have to carry out the Marauder's orders, that was an absolute, but she didn't know how she would manage it. She knew that this would happen all along of course; she was foolish to become emotionally attached to a person she was meant to kill.

"Oh, and before you do that, go give the prisoners a visit. They've become somewhat complacent in your absence. I need you to slap them back into their places," The Marauder said.

"Yes, of course my master," Lucy said. She bowed her head one last time before standing up to leave. Perhaps torturing the prisoners would help to put her back in her old mindset.

* * *

A man screamed as Lucy hacked his leg off with a machete. She would tie a rope around it to ensure that he wouldn't die of blood loss and hack it a way little by little. She was in her private prison, where all of the soldiers that she captured were held. She conducted torture on them to break their will as they stayed here. It was one of her main occupations while she was not working.

Lucy scowled as the man screamed and whimpered. Today she just couldn't get into this. She hoped it would put her back in the mindset of the cold, precise, and brutal agent she was meant to be, but it didn't seem to be working. She just couldn't stop thinking of Natsu. She felt angry with him for making her feel these things. She was supposed to be emotionless, cold, and precise in her work. She looked upon the screaming man before her with disdain.

"Oh wah, wah, wah," Lucy said sarcastically, "Get over it. Just for you being a whiny little bitch, you have to eat it now." She took a chunk of his leg and put it into his face.

The man whimpered, causing Lucy to get angry.

"Go on, do it!" she said. The man didn't move. "Do it or I'll cut your other leg off!" The man looked at her fearfully and complied. Lucy watched in grim satisfaction. This wasn't as enjoyable as it usually was though, which made her angry. It was all Natsu's fault, making her feel empathy for others. He deserved to be killed for weakening her this way! With him out of the picture, she would be able to resume her old life uninhibited by the emotions he made her feel.

Lucy watched as the man finished the task. She felt nothing but anger towards him. Seeing no reason not to, she picked up the machete and chopped off his other leg. He screamed out in pain.

"Y-you said that you wouldn't do that!" he cried.

"I lied. I do that a lot," Lucy said coldly, leaving him to shriek in agony. She decided she would visit the cell containing her three favorite prisoners. She unlocked it and walked in. Erza, Gray and Mirajane were all there sleeping wearily.

"Guess who's baaaaaack," Lucy said in a quiet but dangerous voice. They immediately sat up, and they nearly screamed when they saw her. No doubt they had been hoping that she wouldn't return.

"It's nice to see you all again," she said softly, "We have so much catching up to do…"

* * *

Lucy arrived in her small, cramped room for a short rest. She nibbled on a piece of graer weive, but now that she had eaten real food, she found it difficult to eat the stuff. It troubled her, but she had more pressing issues at the moment than finding herself disliking her main food. She had developed an entirely new attitude due to Natsu, and it was affecting her greatly. She needed to shed the attitude she had developed as soon as possible.

She had tried everything, but no matter how sadistic the torture, she was unable to put herself in her old mindset. She was meant to be emotionless and brutal, not caring for others in her work. Her only remaining option was to kill Natsu outright. It pained her to think of it, but she knew that it must be done. Natsu was making her weak. For someone in her position, weakness was unacceptable, and the source of it needed to be eliminated at all costs.

Being with Natsu made her more like the average human. She may 'technically' be human, but in reality she was of far superior stock. She didn't want to have anything in common with them. No human could ever hope to be her equal. She was stronger than the most muscular body builders, more agile than Olympic gymnasts, as intelligent as the greatest minds of the world. Some members of the aforementioned groups may come close to matching her in their particular category, but none could come close to her overall. She raised her arms in front of her, flexing the greatly enhanced muscles in them. Those muscles could lift an object four times her weight over her head, could snap a man's neck with a mere flick of the wrist. Yet despite these amazing capabilities, just days earlier they had been wrapped gently around a lover.

Lucy shook her head. Natsu was not her lover…well, maybe he was, but she couldn't recognize him as such. She already grudgingly admitted in her head that she loved him, but to think of him as a lover seemed to imply that she felt a permanent connection to him, which she could not allow. She would have to kill him, so there was no point in becoming attached. His death was ordered by her master, and Lucy was absolutely bound to completing the task. By all logic, she should have been eager to kill him for making her weak.

Not only had he made her more emotionally weak, he made her weaker in other areas. Because of her having to go out to dinner with him, she had tasted real food, and now she could barely eat graer weive anymore. The ultra-nutritious food contained all necessary nutrients and energy that she needed to live and perform her best as an agent, but now she could barely stomach the lint-like substance.

Then there was the matter of her body's natural poisons. Her blood contained a neurotoxin potent enough to kill a person with just a few drops on the skin. It took only minutes to be absorbed into the skin and send them into a high fever and convulsions as the poison paralyzed their muscles and heart. Or at least that was how it worked before the antidote weakened it. In order to ensure that she would not accidentally kill Natsu just by being in his presence, she had to constantly slip him the antidote. Eventually, as their level of contact with each other grew, she had to start using it on herself with the intent to temporarily detoxify her body. By doing this, she had greatly diminished the capabilities of her body's poison. Her blood had become so saturated with the antidote that the best it could do to someone was give them a rash or maybe some sore muscles, but not kill them. It would take months before her body could get rid of the antidote and regain its powerful poison.

Of course these things paled in comparison to the cruelest thing he did to her: making her fall in love with him. She could never have him; she was meant to kill him, and even if she wasn't she was not meant to love, only to serve the Marauder. Her life had no other purpose than to follow her master's orders. There was no love nor happiness nor joy in her life, only servitude to her master. Why did Natsu have to make her fall in love when it wasn't meant for her? She could never be with him, so why did she allow him to trap her into loving him? It wasn't fair!

Lucy punched the wall in frustration. The concrete cracked from the blow and her knuckles were bleeding, but it didn't matter. The damage to the wall was easily repaired and her bleeding hands would heal within two hours due to her body's unique biology. These things were petty and insignificant. She had to kill the person she loved on the orders of the Marauder, and she would of course carry it out perfectly.

Lucy stood up and took a high-powered pistol from a drawer beneath her bed. She checked it to make sure it was in operational condition before she withdrew a box of ammunition from the drawer. She withdrew four bullets from the box and carefully loaded them into the pistol. These were no ordinary bullets; each one contained a small explosive charge at the tip. Even without this feature, a single one would almost certainly be fatal due to the high velocity. It would kill him within seconds of being hit. She didn't want him to suffer. She would kill him quickly and with as little pain as possible.

As Lucy prepared to leave, she glanced back at the cabinet next to her bed. She walked over and opened it. She withdrew the books inside and opened the secret compartment. Her shaking hands reached in and picked up the silver pocket watch that she used to hold her most valued possession. She opened it and gazed at the picture of her and her parents smiling. A tear escaped from Lucy's eye, rolling down her cheek. She closed it and tucked it into her pocket.

It looked like she was once again going to have to lose someone she loved.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	14. Goodbye

DW: I would like to thank –Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, RebelAngel91210, xjakx, DetroitBleachWings and Syaoran07 for reviewing. And thank you just-oneofthe-reader for reviewing the last three chapters. Sorry that it's been a while since I last update. So many things have happened to me lately and I've been working on a new story called _Omega Eleven: Continuum Shift_. If you guys are interested, check that story out as well. Lucy and Erza are in it.

Anyways, here's the next chapter and many of you WILL hate me for the end of this chapter.

_**Chapter 14: Goodbye**_

Natsu sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily. What had happened? Something big had occurred, but what? All he could remember was Lucy leading him to the bed; after that, everything was a fuzzy blur. Granted, his mind did tend to become a bit hazy when he and Lucy did that particular activity, but it didn't make sense for him to completely forget everything that had happened. And why did his head hurt so bad? He sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He sat there for a moment trying to remember what happened before he sighed and stood up. He rubbed his aching head and was about to go get something for it when he realized that Lucy wasn't in bed next to him.

Natsu stood up and ran out of the room to search the rest of the house. After looking in the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and living room, he determined that she was not in the house, which left him to wonder where she was. Had something happened to her? No, he would have woken up if something bad had forced her to leave. But if that wasn't the case, what _had_ happened? Did she make a breakthrough in the case and left without informing him? That seemed rather unlikely, though he wouldn't rule it as impossible. Most likely though, she had merely went out to get something for breakfast. He didn't really have anything to worry about. Still, he wished she would have told him.

Natsu went to the door to see if she'd left any clues as to where she was going, but when he turned the handle, he found it was locked. He looked around for the keys, but they were nowhere to be found. He scowled. Lucy must have accidentally locked the door on her way out. He thought to himself about what he would do. He supposed he could just wait for her to come back, but he didn't care for that idea. There was only one other door, but that one went into an old alley behind the house that didn't go anywhere. Natsu wished he knew this house better, but it was Lucy's house, not his. However, he had been able to determine that the few windows in the house were too small for him to fit through. He could break down the door, but that would attract unwanted attention.

Natsu got an idea. On the way in, he had seen that this house had a small wooden hatchway outside that led to the cellar. He decided that this was his best option, as it would likely be connected to the basement. He went to the door to the basement and opened it, walking down the dusty stairs.

It was clearly quite old, and evidently had not been used in some time. It was dusty and mildewy, with spider webs all over the place. He stepped carefully down the creaky wooden stairs, unsure if they could properly hold his weight. When he reached the bottom, he found that the entire place was lit by a single incandescent light bulb on the ceiling, meaning that the place was very dim. Shadows were cast by various boxes and old pieces of furniture, making it quite hard to search. The floor was concrete at the base of the stairs, but seemed to be packed dirt elsewhere.

Natsu walked slowly through the place. It was obvious that Lucy had not been down here in a long time, if at all. There was all sorts of antique items that were likely left by the previous owners of the house. There was a moldy couch, a cast-iron lamp base, several rotting cabinets, piles of yellow-paged books, and many boxes all over the place. Inspecting a few boxes, he discovered everything from old tea kettles to a set of antique cutlass swords.

Resisting his curiosity, Natsu reminded himself why he was down here, and began searching for a place for the stairs to the cellar entrance outside. He searched the place several times, but did not see anything that remotely resembled what he was looking for. Just as he was about to give up, something caught his eye.

There was something behind an old bookshelf in the far corner of the room. Natsu went to inspect it. He peered behind the shelf, but found that he could not properly see what it was. He tried to push the shelf out of his way, but it was too heavy. He tried it again, but like the first time it wouldn't budge. He backed up a little bit the third time, slamming his body into it. This time, the brittle shelf collapsed into a heap of wood. Shrugging, Natsu kicked aside a few pieces of wood and examined what had been behind the shelf.

It appeared to have once been a doorway, but it was boarded up quite heavily. Natsu looked around for something he could use to break it down. His eyes settled on an old metal rake. It wasn't particularly sharp or heavy, but Natsu decided it would be enough to break down the rotting wood. He lifted the rake and swung at the door, taking out a big chunk of wood. He did it again and again, taking away pieces of wood with his swings. Soon, he had created a hole large enough for him to step through.

Upon walking in, he was surprised to see that there were no stairs to the outside as he had expected. Instead, there was a small trap door at the center of the small, closet-like room. Natsu hesitated, unsure of what to do. He really should be looking for a way to get out, but curiosity got the better of him. He opened the trap door and put his head through. He gasped at what he saw.

Beneath the trap door was a large tunnel about ten feet high and fifteen feet wide. He couldn't believe what he had stumbled upon. Natsu thought of what to do next. He didn't want to leave Lucy without telling her where he was going, but this was an important find. Who knew what sort of secrets going down there would uncover. Then again, it may be dangerous enough for him to need help from Lucy. But then again, one person would be able to more efficiently inspect the place than two. Natsu came to the conclusion that it would be best for him to go and inspect the place now. Lucy wouldn't worry, and would likely figure out where he had gone on her own.

Natsu ran upstairs to retrieve his gear and everything else he needed. He came back down wearing clothes well suited to this activity. He wore a vest and carried a bag, which together held everything he needed. Securing the back, Natsu carefully leapt down the trapdoor, landing silently on his feet.

Natsu turned on a small light that illuminated the tunnel. He wondered which direction he should go. In the end, he decided to go in the direction that he knew went towards the main city, reasoning that there were likely more access points there. The tunnels were dark and didn't seem to be in regular use, but Natsu knew that appearances could be deceiving, so he was careful. The tunnels themselves were made of a combination of concrete, stone, and packed earth on the floor with braces of wood and metal at the sides to ensure the stability of the tunnel.

It was a dank place that stretched on for miles, taking many turns. There were a few more trap doors and a few small hatches to the sides, but nothing suggesting a large-scale operation. He was about to give up when he found a large metal door. This one seemed to be hiding something, as it was sturdily built and had a combination lock.

Natsu took out a device to help him crack the lock. Putting his ear next to it while using the device, he was able to open the door after several minutes of work. Putting the device away, he walked in and closed the door behind him. He walked up a small set of stairs to a door. Arming himself with a pistol in case things got nasty, he opened the door.

Natsu was greeted by a gray walled room with fluorescent lighting. There were several storage lockers, but not much else. Natsu walked through another door, and found himself in a hallway containing numerous doors. Looking inside a few doors, he found them to contain various torture devices and interrogation objects. There was a room full of chemicals and one containing a heavy iron oven no doubt used both as a psychological weapon and a means of disposing bodies. In another room, heavy chains hung from the walls, and in the center rested a chair encrusted with what seemed to be blood.

Natsu was sickened from what he was seeing. What kind of person did this kind of thing? No government in the world would accept a place like this! He reasoned that it was a secret facility with few people having access; that would explain the lack of guards.

Finding a locked room, he quickly picked the lock and looked inside. It seemed to be a prison cell, and judging by the state of the place, it had been in use withing the past two days. That meant that the prisoner had either been moved or killed since then. Natsu went to check the next cell and found it in the same state. The same was true with the next cell. It appeared that there had been a recent purge of the prisoners here. Sighing, Natsu opened the next cell.

He was relieved to find three living prisoners inside. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he knew them. They were Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster and Mirajane; all fellow soldiers who were reported captured by Project Cerberus. He couldn't believe that they were actually here.

Gray suddenly looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. He quickly woke up his companions, who likewise were shocked. They tried to talk several times but seemed unable, finally being able to speak after a minute of gaping at him.

"N-Natsu? Is that you?" Erza asked.

"It is. I can't believe I found you here. You're safe now though," Natsu said, walking in and helping them up. They were dirty and in quite rough shape with cuts and bruises all over the place, but they were in otherwise good health.

"Here, arm yourselves," Natsu said, handing them each a pistol, "We might run into trouble. Oh, and here is some water, you look thirsty." Natsu handed them a small canteen of water which they took turns drinking from.

"Thank you so much," Mirajane murmured with tears in her eyes.

"You're a life-saver," Gray said, "I doubt we would have survived another day if you hadn't come."

"I can't believe that you actually found us," Erza said, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came looking for you Erza." Natsu smiled. "I've decided to take on the mission in finding Project Cerberus." The eyes of the three prisoners widened upon hearing this.

"Oh my god…I completely forgot! We need to get out of here now!" Mirajane said.

"What, why?" Natsu asked, surprised by the sudden rush.

"_She's_ here," Erza said, her eyes wide, "She was just here less than two hours ago. She could return at any time!"

"Who?" Natsu asked.

"The one who captured us! The one that's killed countless soldiers!" Gray said.

"Wait, Project Cerberus is here? That's great! We can ambush him when he comes back!" Natsu said.

"No! We must get out of here as fast as we possibly can!" Erza said, "Even together, we're no match for her! She is far beyond the capabilities of any normal human!"

"Wait, 'She'? Project Cerberus is a woman?" Natsu asked. They all nodded, glancing around, clearly desperate to get out.

"But…but where?" he asked. He didn't get an answer, as all three of the other agents had a look of horrible fear upon their faces and were shakily pointing their pistols behind him. He heard a click behind him and turned to see Lucy pointing a gun at him. He froze in shock.

"Lucy…what are you doing? What's going on?!" Natsu asked in shock. He didn't even draw his gun out of sheer shock.

"You really are an idiot Natsu Dragneel," Lucy said with a slight smile, "You have a great mind, but you're still an idiot."

"What are you talking about Lucy? Why are you doing this? You can trust these guys, they're with us! They're going to help us catch Project Cerberus," Natsu said.

"Like I said Natsu, you're an idiot," Lucy said, "You've been searching for so long, yet the answer was right under your nose the whole time."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked. His eyes suddenly widened. "We haven't had any significant…wait, that's it isn't it. I understand now. You're with the Red Hand aren't you? You've been sabotaging my efforts to catch Project Cerberus!" Natsu was now quite angry. He had been fooled and betrayed. The girl he worked with and had fallen in love with had been with the Red Hand the entire time.

"Natsu you fool. I'm not working for Project Cerberus, I _am_ Project Cerberus."

The words rang in Natsu's head for a minute. He couldn't have heard correctly. That was impossible! Lucy couldn't be Project Cerberus! His mind refused to accept it. He loved Lucy, even with the knowledge that she was a Red Hand agent; she couldn't possibly be the murderous agent that had killed so many people. But…it all made sense; it fit perfectly. Her being Project Cerberus would explain so many things. He was left with no choice but to expect it.

"So…so you've been planning this the whole time then, have you?" Natsu asked. Lucy nodded. "Then why wait until now?! Why lead me on and make me think you love me? Why not kill me before making me love you?" The eyes of the others widened upon hearing him say that he loved the person who had tormented them for so long.

"First of all, you were the one who initiated a romantic relationship," Lucy said with a scowl, "And secondly, I didn't kill you right away because I needed information from you. I have the information now, so you have no further point in staying alive."

"Wait, what information did you take?" Natsu asked.

"That is between me and my master," Lucy said.

"Master? Who is your master?" Natsu demanded.

"My master is the one who created me and gave me this perfect body. I owe my existence to him. I can only repay him with absolute loyalty and servitude. I must follow his orders exactly, and right now his orders are for me to kill you."

"If you shoot Natsu, we'll shoot you!" Erza yelled, finally overcoming her fright. Gray and Mirajane nodded, holding their guns more aggressively.

"Wait, Lucy. Please, don't do this! You said you loved me, didn't you? What happened to that?" Natsu said.

"That monster can't feel love," Gray said, "She knows nothing but murder and inflicting pain on others. If she said she loved you, she was lying."

"Actually I did mean it when I said it," Lucy said, "But that is irrelevant now that my orders are to kill you."

"But Lucy, if you love me, why not spare us?" Natsu said.

"You don't understand; I _must_ obey my master. I have no choice in the issue," Lucy said.

"Yes you do Lucy. You're a person, and as a person, you have the right to choose for yourself. Don't let that rotten master of yours control you!" Natsu said. He immediately knew he said the wrong thing. Lucy's eyes filled with anger.

"Don't you dare insult my master!" she yelled, "My master is far greater than any of you could possibly imagine!"

"Oh yeah? Then why does he need to force you kill people for him? If he is so great, why does he not listen to your feelings on whether or not you want to do something?" Natsu asked, "Face it, you're nothing but a slave to him. You don't need him."

"Don't say that! He is far greater than even me! He is a god compared to you weak-minded fools and shall soon reign over the earth!" Lucy shouted, shaking in anger, but in confusion as well. Natsu had made his point to her.

"He won't reign over anything. He'll fall like the mad man he is. Why fall with him? You must realize that you do not benefit from being with him."

"Any benefits are irrelevant. I will follow him to the ends of the earth. If he commanded so, I would die for him in an instant."

"You are more than just his slave Lucy. You have shown me that you are capable of love. Please Lucy, I love you. Don't do this. It's not too late for you," Natsu said. Lucy faltered for a moment. Natsu could have sworn he saw a tear threatening to fall from her eye.

"I…I love you too Natsu, but it is too late for me. I was designed to follow my master's orders without fail, and his order is for me to kill you. Goodbye Natsu. I'm sorry."

Lucy fired a single shot into Natsu's chest. The bullet's explosive charge singed his clothes, and he fell to the ground. Lucy's face remained expressionless, but inside she was screaming in agonizing despair and guilt. She had done it…she had killed Natsu. Her mind was numb in shock. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Within seconds of Natsu falling to the floor, Erza, Gray and Mirajane fired upon her. Their shots hit her, but she didn't even flinch. Her biology made it so the bullets did not damage her nearly as badly as they would a normal person. In normal circumstances, she would have easily been able to kill the three before they were able to fire enough shots to actually harm her, but she didn't see the point. Thus, they continued to riddle her body with bullets without her making a move to stop them.

When Lucy did finally fall, she wasn't sure if it was the result of the bullets or of her broken heart.

**END OF CHAPTER**

DW: And I shall end the chapter here. Don't you just hate cliffhangers?! Is Natsu dead or alive?! Stay tune folks!


	15. Inevitable

DW: I would like to thank everyone for reviewing this story! Thanks to all of you, this story has reached 100 reviews! And our 100th reviewer is...

**Chibi Warrior II!**

Have a giant chocolate chip cookie for your reward!

_**Chapter 15: Inevitable**_

Lucy and Natsu were lying on the ground lifelessly. Erza, Gray and Mirajane still had their guns pointed at Lucy, not wanting to let their guard down. Eventually, Erza worked up the nerve to approach her. After taking the gun from Lucy's unmoving hand, she gave her a small kick in the side, keeping the gun pointed at her as she did so. Upon not seeing a reaction, Erza knelt down and turned her over.

Lucy was limp and unmoving. She had eleven gunshot wounds on her body. Erza cautiously grabbed hold of her wrist. After a minute, she let go. She placed her head over Lucy's chest, listening for a heartbeat. After a few moments she got back up.

"She's dead," Erza announced. Gray and Mirajane breathed sighs of relief.

"Finally, this madness is over," Gray whispered.

"I'm afraid it's not over yet, we still have to get out of here," Mirajane said. Meanwhile, Erza had gone over to Natsu, looking at him sympathetically.

"Natsu..." Erza sighed sadly. "He really did love her. He actually thought that she felt the same way towards him, and he believed in her right up to the very end," she said quietly.

"I can't believe that anyone could fall in love with that monster. He was a fool to believe that she would spare him," Gray said. Mirajane growled for a moment with tears in her eyes before going over to Lucy's body.

"You heartless bitch!" Mirajane growled, "This was all your doing wasn't it? You tricked him into thinking you loved him so that you could get information and kill him. As if a monster like you even had enough humanity in you to feel love. You only exist for causing death and inflicting pain! You deserved death a thousand times over!" She kicked her violently in the side, shaking in anger.

Erza could not help but shed a few tears for her old friend and fellow soldier. She put a hand on the side of his face, sighing in disbelief. Suddenly she gasped.

"What is it?" Gray asked.

"He-he's alive!" Erza said excitedly, "I just felt his muscles twitch in the side of his face."

"What? That's great!" Mirajane said, rushing over with Gray. They looked him over.

"He won't live long, he's stopped breathing," Gray said.

"I'm not letting him die. Mirajane, get something to stop the blood flow; I'll give him CPR," Erza said. Mirajane began to tear a piece of cloth from one of the bedsheets, returning to place it over Natsu's bleeding wound.

"I'm not sure that will work," Gray said apprehensively, "His wound seems beyond the level of that stuff being helpful." Despite these words, Erza had begun giving him CPR, hoping to get him to breathe again. She stopped after a few minutes, not sure whether to continue.

"Come on," Erza muttered, slapping him lightly on the side of the face, "Get up…"

"It's no use," Mirajane said sadly. Erza ignored her and continued the process. Gray and Mirajane watched her for several minutes, not expecting her to have been successful.

Suddenly however, Natsu gave a cough and began breathing. His breaths were short and ragged, but the fact that he was breathing again made them all very relieved.

"Okay, he's not safe yet," Erza said, "Gray, you go check to see if there are any medical supplies in this place. Mirajane, go barricade the entrances and take care of any guards." Gray and Mirajane nodded, running off. Erza continued to hold the torn sheet over Natsu's wound, preventing it from bleeding anymore.

"Hang on Natsu, we're going to save you," she whispered. He was unconscious and his breaths were short, rough, and apparently painful. The wound on his chest was bleeding heavily from the gunshot. Erza was able to recognize that Lucy had used a very high caliber bullet with an explosive tip. Such a weapon was capable of inflicting devastating wounds, and Natsu was lucky to still be alive, even if he was in bad shape.

After several minutes, Gray and Mirajane returned. Mirajane carried a bucket of water and Gray carried several boxes of supplies.

"Here are some supplies I found. There is some more medical equipment in the building, but for now I just took what was necessary," Gray said.

"Thank you," Erza said, "Could one of you help me get his shirt off? We need to look at the wound."

Mirajane bent down and took out a knife she had found. Using it, she cut away the shirt that Natsu was wearing. Beneath the shirt, they were surprised to find a bulletproof vest.

"That clever boy," Erza said with a grin, "I should have known he'd be smart enough to do something like that." The vest had a hole in it and was burned from the bullet's explosive charge, but it seemed to have absorbed much of the impact. They took off the vest to reveal the wound in Natsu's chest.

It was large, about the diameter of a walnut, but not nearly as bad as they thought. The vest had absorbed much of the force, along with the explosive charge. The vest wasn't able to stop the bullet; it was able to make it through the vest, but instead of the bullet carving away half of his chest as it would were he not wearing the vest, it instead only created a serious but treatable wound. It seemed that the bullet only just penetrated the lung tissue, with most of the damage in the muscle areas. They worked fast, as it was still a dangerous wound that could kill him. Erza was able to remove the bullet thanks to basic medical training she had received. They were able to partially treat the lung wound, and were relieved that Natsu had yet to cough up any blood. After treating the worst of the wound, they put bandages on him, taking care not to hurt his ribs, which were cracked in places from the impact of the bullet. When they were done, they laid him on the bed to rest.

"So now what do we do?" Gray asked. Mirajane stepped forward to tell them what she'd found.

"I checked the records, and apparently _she_," Mirajane pointed to Lucy's still form, "Killed all of the other prisoners in gruesome ways. In addition, she killed the guards that knew the details of this place and expelled the rest. I think she was going crazy or something, judging by the ways she killed them. She was probably intending to either kill us at some point today or to let us starve to death. In any case, this means that we're alone now, which is convenient seeing as we won't have to worry about being detected for the time being."

"But don't they have security cameras?" Erza asked.

"Yes, but she's the only one who can access them, and now that she's dead, we won't have to worry about it," Mirajane said, "Just to be safe though, I disabled the ones in the areas we'll be in."

"Good, in that case we only need to decide what our next actions will be," Gray said.

"Natsu won't be able to move for some time. We'll need to stay put until he is able to move freely on his own," Erza said.

"There's plenty of rations and other supplies in this place; if need be we could probably stay here for a few months," Mirajane said.

"I don't think we'll be here that long. We'll wait until Natsu gets better. Then we'll escape and hopefully get out of this country."

Natsu's wounds were healing nicely with the help of treatment. The wound only barely penetrated his lung, so the most deadly part of the injury was also the smallest. There was still quite a bit of damage to the muscle tissue though, and he had lost quite a bit of blood, making him quite weak. The impact of Lucy's powerful bullet was able to crack his ribs through the bulletproof vest. He was very lucky, as the high-caliber, explosive bullet Lucy had used would have created a hole the size of a grapefruit in his chest and then exploded to carve away his heart and lungs had he not been wearing the vest.

They were careful to keep him in stable condition, not wanting to endanger his life in any way. He was unconscious, but doing quite well considering the circumstances.

Finally, after three days, he woke up. The others were resting at the time, and were startled to hear a wheezy cough coming from him. They got up to check him, and found that his eyes were now open and he seemed to be fully conscious. He blinked a few times before speaking.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu said weakly. The others were taken aback by this, not expecting him to still hold feelings for the murderous monster that had tormented them for so long.

"She's dead," Erza said. Natsu lowered his eyes.

"Oh…I see…" Natsu whispered. He gave a small sigh and closed his eyes to rest. The others glanced at each other, unsure of what to do next. They were perplexed about his feelings towards Lucy, and didn't know how they should react to it. Plus there was the fact that it was they who killed her. They were unsure how he would react to that. To their surprise though, he spoke as they thought these very things.

"Do not concern yourselves with it," Natsu mumbled, not opening his eyes, "It was inevitable. Nothing could have prevented an outcome without at least one of us dead. I don't blame you."

They were silent as he went back to sleep.

The next two days, Natsu's condition dramatically improved. He was still weak, but he was able to sit up and eat solid food. He told them about how his feelings for Lucy developed, and while they felt awkward about it, they could not help but feel sympathy for the boy who had been so badly betrayed by the girl he thought he loved. He spent quite a bit of time staring at her body, which had been pushed into the corner to keep it out of the way. Once or twice, the others could swear that they saw a tear in his eye.

Gray was looking at Lucy's body a lot too, an inquisitive look on his face.

"It's strange isn't it?" he said.

"What?" Mirajane asked.

"She's been dead for five days, yet she still hasn't begun to decompose at all. Wouldn't it make sense for her to have started rotting by now?" Gray said.

"It's probably all of the chemicals in her body. They likely prevent any bacteria from forming in her," Erza suggested.

"Maybe…" Gray murmured. He went over to her body and turned her over. He examined her for a minute before leaping back and shrieking. He pulled it out and shakily pointed it at her.

"What is it?" Mirajane asked in concern.

"She's alive," Gray whispered. Erza and Mirajane began drawing their guns too, but stopped at a realization.

"Wait, she can't be alive! I checked her thoroughly, and she had no pulse, no heartbeat, and she wasn't breathing! How could she still be alive?" Erza said.

"I don't know, but she is. Check her wounds, they've already begun to heal!" Gray said.

Erza and Mirajane cautiously approached her. They bent down for a moment to examine her before jumping back with their guns pointed at her.

"Dear god he's right," Erza said, "The wounds have already begun to close up!"

"But how? She wasn't breathing and had no heartbeat, so how did her wounds heal?" Mirajane asked.

"I wonder…" Erza said quietly. She cautiously approached Lucy and examined her for a minute. She checked all over her body, looking for a potential answer.

"Yes, that must be it," she said, "Her body seems to have reflexively induced a coma. It makes sense now; she is able to heal much faster than an ordinary human, but is still capable of being wounded. Thus, she shut down her body's functions to a near-death state so that her wounds will be able to heal without her being adversely affected. A very clever mechanism."

"What now?" Gray asked, "Should we kill her?"

"Of course stupid! Do you honestly think we're going to give her the chance to get better?" Mirajane said.

"We need to ensure that she dies before she can recover," Erza said, pointing her gun at Lucy's head, "We need to ensure her death." Just as she was about to pull the trigger though, Natsu spoke.

"Wait…don't kill her," he said weakly.

"What? We have to! She's a menace! She can't be allowed to plague humanity anymore!" Mirajane said, her eyes shaking.

"Besides, have you forgotten what she did to you? If she recovers, she'll try to kill you again, not to mention us!" Erza said.

"Then restrain her, but please…please don't kill her," Natsu said. Erza removed the gun from the side of Lucy's head and walked over to where Natsu was lying in bed.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "You know how dangerous she is, it is a major risk."

"Please…don't kill her. I…I need some answers from her."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	16. Interrogation Part 1

DW: I would like to thank xjakx, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, RebelAngel91210, malestromhavoc, NotoriousRejuvination, Chibi Warrior II, yukihane, ZiaLialis and Russ Dog for reviewing. Looks like this story is getting more reviews. I like that. Better update this story faster now.

Also, if you are a Code Geass fan, check out my newest story Maid For Hire as well. I hope you guys like that story too!

_**Chapter 16: Interrogation Part 1**_

No effort was spared in restraining Lucy. Erza, Gray and Mirajane were all completely terrified of her, even in her comatose state. They wanted nothing more than to kill her and have the madness be over, but Natsu begged them not to. They eventually complied with the badly injured agent's wishes, but they weren't taking any chances as they restrained Lucy.

They put her in a chair they had found in the deserted prison and handcuffed her hands behind it. They used rope and duct tape to secure her body and legs to the chair, finishing the job by wrapping chains around her. She was completely restrained, with virtually no way of escaping. All that remained was to wait for her to wake up.

In the mean time, they planned out how they would escape from this place. They decided that blending in with the local populace, making their way to a port, and sneaking aboard a freighter that would take them out of the country was the best option. They were eager to go home after being held captive for so long.

Natsu was making steady progress; he was now able to stand for short periods of time and eat regularly. His wound was largely healed, thanks in part to the advanced medicines that were held in the facility. Erza explained that the healing medicine was often used on those who had undergone intense torture sessions to ensure that they would be well enough to be tortured again soon. They did not tell him that it was usually Lucy who did the torturing. They avoided talking about the horrible things she had done, knowing it would create tension with Natsu. Despite all that had happened, he still had strong feelings for Lucy. He denied this of course, but they could see through this. They felt a mixture of anger towards him for loving the demon that had put them through so much pain and pity for how he was betrayed by someone he thought he loved.

Lucy had largely healed; all that remained was for her to come out of her self-induced coma. They were surprised and a little frightened that she was able to heal from such wounds so quickly. She had been shot eleven times, inflicting massive damage to her body. By all logic, she should have been killed instantly. But she didn't. Despite being hit so many times with high caliber, high velocity bullets, she had nearly completely recovered in a week. Her durability was both amazing and frightening.

They kept her under constant watch so as to ensure that when she woke up she would not have the chance to attempt an escape.

Finally, eight days after being shot, Lucy woke up. She was groggy at first, shifting in her restraints and groaning. This was enough to put everyone present into a panic though, and they kept their weapons pointed at her as she slowly began to wake up. She attempted to move her arm, but found she couldn't due to the restraints. She squinted as she began to regain full consciousness, and though she couldn't see entirely clearly just yet, she soon recognizing what was going on. An ironic smirk played across her face.

"Well it looks like you've got me," Lucy said, her voice rather hoarse.

"You're lucky we spared you. You've been at our mercy for a week yet we didn't finish you off," Erza said. Lucy shrieked in laughter, causing them to step back as if she were a dangerous animal.

"You must have gone mad!" Lucy giggled manically, "Bothering to keep me alive? Come on!"

"It looks like you're the one who's gone mad, and it wasn't us who wanted to spare you, it was the very person you've hurt the most," Gray said. Lucy erupted into a fit of shrieking laughter until she froze, only just seeing the figure behind Erza, Gray and Mirajane.

"N-Natsu! You're alive!" she said in shock. Natsu walked forward, still a bit weak from his injuries but given strength by his determination.

"Yes, I survived. I suppose that's unfortunate for you," Natsu said.

"Now why ever would you think that?" Lucy said, giggling to herself. Natsu's eyes narrowed; Lucy had clearly snapped, and didn't at all act as she normally did.

"You've gone insane," Mirajane muttered. Lucy laughed at this. She knew he was probably right; the complex mix of emotions she felt had completely torn away her normal attitude, leaving her a laughing mad woman with none of the dignity and cold attitude she had previously displayed.

"I suppose you're surprised to see me alive," Natsu said.

"Yes, I must admit that I am. The bullet I used should have torn your chest wide open. I must say that I am rather glad that you survived," Lucy said.

"Yeah right," Natsu growled, "You've been planning to kill me since day one. You manipulated me into feeling compassion for you and you used it to try to kill me. If you were let go right now, you'd probably attack me and finish the job."

"No I wouldn't," Lucy said sweetly. The others snorted derisively.

"You expect us to believe that after all you've done? You tried to kill him once yet now you claim to have no intention of doing so? What a load of crap!" Gray said.

"I don't need to kill him anymore. My master's orders were to kill him, and to my knowledge at the time, I did so. I am free from having to kill you now," Lucy said.

"Yeah, maybe you don't 'have' to kill him, but you probably will anyways! You thrive on chaos and disorder. You have committed horrible crimes and killed countless people. Even if you aren't trying to kill him anymore, you're still a savage killing machine. You exist for the sole purpose of killing, and you clearly enjoy it immensely. We won't let you out so that you can kill again and fulfill your bloodlust," Erza said.

"Blood lust?" Lucy cackled, evidently quite amused, "Perhaps you don't understand, I don't do this because I enjoy it, I do it because my master commands me to do so. It has nothing to do with personal gratification."

"Who is this master, and if you don't like killing, why not just refuse to follow his orders?" Natsu said. Lucy's face immediately contorted into anger.

"Her master is named The Marauder." Erza said to Natsu as she turns to him. "Gray, Mirajane and I still don't know much about him, but all we know he is definitely the one behind the Apophis Experiment."

"I see." Natsu murmured.

"Don't you dare even suggest that I disobey my master! He is far greater than any of you could hope to be!" Lucy snarled.

"If he's so great, why does he need to send you to do all of his dirty work?" Mirajane asked. Lucy growled.

"Don't even question my master's greatness! Soon you will all bow down before his glory!"

"You're not making any sense at all," Natsu said, "Why are you acting like some sort of cult follower? What good does it do you to follow him?"

"I exist so that I can follow him. He created me. If not for him, I would not become powerful. Thus, my life belongs to him to order as he sees fit. If he were to order it, I would take my own life in an instant. That is the extent of my dedication and servitude," Lucy said. The others were staring open-mouthed at her, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"So…so you're basically his slave?" Natsu said, beginning to feel a bit of sympathy for her. Lucy seemed shocked by the suggestion.

"His slave? He holds me in far greater regard than that! I am his most loyal servant, his greatest asset! He has immense pride in me! I am his greatest creation, and he would never even think of tossing me aside!" Lucy said.

"Only as long as you are useful. Do you really think that he cares about you? As soon as you cease to be valuable to him, he will toss you aside like a used doll," Natsu said. Lucy closed her eyes tightly and violently shook her head.

"No! No, no, no! That is not at all how it is! He would never do that! Shut up! What do you know of this? I am far greater than any of you, what right do you have to suggest such things? You are mere baseline humans. Thanks to my master, I transcend the ordinary limits of a weak human body to become something greater than any inferior being like yourselves! That greatness exists to serve the Marauder!" Lucy ranted and screamed, evidently extremely upset. She suddenly lurched forward in the chair, headbutting Natsu in his injured chest, causing him to fall over in extreme pain. As Erza helped Natsu to his feet, Gray and Mirajane raised their weapons, preparing to fire if she tried anything else. Lucy grinned manically.

"Go ahead, do it! I rather die and take my master's secrets to the grave with me!" Lucy shrieked in laughter, and the others backed up a bit.

"She's becoming delusional from all of this," Erza noted. It was true. Lucy had never experienced such intense and conflicting emotions. Was she really just a tool for the Marauder? If she was, did she enjoy it, or did she just naturally get gratification from completing her tasks? Did the Marauder care for her more than as his servant? Did her ability to feel empathy really die all those years ago with her parents? Why was she becoming so reckless all of a sudden? Was she really glad that Natsu was alive? Was she really glad that _she_ was alive? Did she feel genuine compassion? Did she really love Natsu? The questions were buzzing around in her head, the potential answers clashing and eating away at her sanity. Lucy had never felt strong emotions before, or at least not since she was very young, and to suddenly have so many emotions at once was very distressing to her. She didn't know how to react.

"If your master would like to see you die, it's clear he doesn't care one bit for you," Natsu said, "If he cared for you, wouldn't he have sent a team to look for you after going missing? You've been gone for a week, and he hasn't searched for you at all. Are those the actions of someone who cares for you?"

"He…he has faith in my abilities! He knows I'll be fine on my own! Besides, he is very busy and can't be bothered by such things."

"Face it Lucy, he doesn't care about you. He never did. I do care about you, so why are you choosing him?" Natsu said. Lucy quivered, and seemed on the verge of tears. She lowered her head.

"Perhaps you're right, but even if you are, it makes no difference. He created me. I owe my existence to him. If he wishes to cast me aside, it is within his rights to do so. Besides, I am already permanently bound to his side. I have done so much for him; it is impossible to switch sides now."

"No it's not! It's not your fault Lucy, it's his! He made you do all of those horrible things! Please Lucy, come with us. We can fix you; make it so that you can live your life on your life by your own decisions. You don't want to cause pain and suffering, I can tell by the look in your eyes. You want nothing more than to be loved and accepted like a normal human." Natsu lowered his head down to give Lucy a kiss but just before their lips touched, Erza tore him away from her.

"No, I can't let you do this," Erza said to him sternly, "She is the enemy. She tricked you and tried to kill you. She doesn't love you at all, and frankly I'm surprised that you bought into her lies. You have to listen to me, she _does_ enjoy killing. It may be the orders of her master, but she takes great pleasure in it. Don't you have any idea how many of our men were killed by the heartless monster? Half of the people that we fought and work alongside with were killed by her! I looked it up in her own records! The atrocities she's committed are unbelievable!"

"You…you must be mistaken. She didn't want to kill all of those people; she had to. She's been brainwashed and enslaved by the Marauder to do his bidding. It's not really her who did all of those things as far as I'm concerned," Natsu said.

"No, you're wrong," Lucy said, "I may have had no choice, but I did want to do most of the things I did. I hated people who are against the people I worked for, and I took great glee in killing them. I systematically eradicated them without any pity. The same goes for all of my other tasks. My master ordered me to complete the jobs, and I received pleasure from completing them. It did not matter who it was being killed. I killed on the orders of my master, but I enjoyed doing it. I killed whomever my Master ordered, whether they were agent or civilian, local or foreigner, man or woman, adult or child. If it benefited my master, I would do it. By all logic, I am unforgivable."

"You…so it's true then?" Natsu asked in shock, "You actually _enjoyed _killing all of those people?" Lucy nodded. Natsu's expression hardened, losing the sympathy from before. He clenched his fists.

"So what they said was true? You did all of those horrible things without an ounce of regret! I suppose this means that you never even loved me; that you were using me the whole time!" Natsu said angrily.

"Well that's not entirely true. I did feel a bit bad for certain things," Lucy said.

"Cut the crap," Gray said, "You as good as told us that you enjoyed killing innocents. You think you're at all redeemable."

"I didn't say that, in fact sometimes I did regret-"

"And you killed our allies and tortured countless people," Mirajane said, "You've proven yourself an excellent liar, why should we believe your claims that you feel regret now?" Lucy looked helplessly, not knowing what to say or do.

"Just tell me this Lucy, what were the full extent of your atrocities?" Natsu asked.

"You mean everything I did? Okay, let's see…" Lucy paused as she counted in her head all of the things she'd done.

"Okay, I've killed 90 local leaders, 34 government officials from the United States, Britain, Australia, France, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Germany, China, Japan and Singapore, 148 civilians who were in my master's way, several hundred military officers from Nigeria, Russia, Tanzania, Britain, China, Canada, Germany and Algeria, and 215 military soldiers from the United States, Great Britain, Israel, France, and China. Of those 215 soldiers, the ones you are familiar with include Ian Hughes, Joe Powell, Jose Porla, Sherry Blendi, Lisanna, Bora, Wendy Marvell, Gajeel Redfox, Antonio Gomez, Zack Watson, Thomas Schlinder, Macao Conbolt, Cana Alberona, Totomaru, Wally Buchanan-"

Natsu punched Lucy in the face as hard as he could. The impact knocked her and the chair she was attached to over. Lucy hit her head on the ground and closed her eyes tightly in pain. When she opened them, she saw that Natsu was standing over her with his gun pointed at her head. He was shaking in rage and anger after hearing her list off all of the friends that Lucy had killed.

"Are you going to kill me Natsu?" Lucy asked quietly, her eyes not betraying any emotion. Natsu's arms shook.

"I…I should. You deserve death considering the amount of it you caused. You killed so many people… You were right, you are unforgivable."

"Then go ahead, shoot me. Even I can't survive a direct shot to the head. If you feel I deserve it, you should kill me."

Natsu shook in anger, his finger tightening around the trigger. Suddenly however, the arm holding the gun fell to his side, and Natsu lowered his head and sighed. He turned around, tucked the gun away, and sighed in frustration and confusion.

"I can't do it," Natsu whispered to the others, "I can't kill her."

"Even after knowing what she's done you still have feelings for her?" Erza asked.

"I…I don't know," he said quietly.

"Natsu?" Lucy said from on the ground. Natsu turned to look at her.

"What? Do you want to rub the fact that you fooled me into loving you in my face?" Natsu said.

"No, I want you to know I really do love you. Yes, it started out as a ploy to extract information from you, but as time passed I realized that I really do love you. And…it's made me think about the things I've done. I'm starting to feel things I haven't felt in a long time. I…I want to help you. I can't turn against my master, but I have vital information for you. It's the only way I can think of to repay you for making me feel happiness again. My master is planning something big, and the information I give you will prove invaluable."

"You're lying," Natsu said, "You're pretending to love me, and now you're just making a ploy so that you can get free and kill us. The information you give us will be false, and it will give you time to break free and kill us."

"I have no intention of doing that. I already told you, to the best of my knowledge at the time, I _did_ kill you. I'm free from that obligation. It is now at my discretion whether or not I kill you, and I don't want to. I already told you, I love you and even if I can't join you, I want to help you," Lucy said.

"I really want to believe that, but everything you've done suggests otherwise," Natsu said.

"Isn't there anything I can do to make you believe me?" Lucy asked.

"Not unless you have a way of showing me that you not only are capable of compassion and love, but have a reason that you would ever want to do anything that would be at all unbeneficial for that beloved master of yours." There was silence for a minute.

"I see," Lucy said quietly, "Reach into the inside pocket of my clothes and take what's out."

Natsu looked at her inquisitively, wondering what she was trying to do. Was this some sort of a trick? What was she planning? Cautiously he reached into the front of her skirt, putting his hand into the pocket inside. He pulled out a small silver pocket watch. He looked at it as it rested in the palm of his hand. Why did she want him to see this? Was it some sort of trick? Was there a bomb inside of the watch that would go off when opened? No, it was too small to create a significant explosion. But what did it do? Was it full of acid? No, it would leak out the sides if it were. From the appearance, it was simply an ordinary pocket watch, but it had to be more than that, why else would Lucy want him to see it? There was only one way to figure out what it was. He took a deep breath and opened it.

Natsu fully expected some sort of deadly device, but instead there was only an old, worn out picture placed beneath the glass where the components of the watch once were. The picture featured a much younger Lucy and two adults smiling. Natsu looked at Lucy questioningly.

"They are my parents," Lucy said in answer to his unspoken question, "Before I was taken in a s a subject to the Apophis Experiment, I have a family of my own. My parents love me and I love them. They raised me…until the Red Hand…killed them."

Natsu's eyes widened, and saw that tears were beginning to spill from Lucy's eyes.

"I…I love my parents very much. I didn't want them to die! But the Red Hand kill them and they force me to work for them!" Lucy was now crying, tears streaking her cheeks.

Natsu looked at her closely. Those tears were very real. She truly and genuinely cared for her parents. She clearly felt sadness and depression over the murder of her parents and the guilt for working for the Red Hand.

Natsu bent down and lifted the chair Lucy was tied to into an upright position. Natsu looked Lucy in the eyes and kissed her.

"I believe you Lucy. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	17. Interrogation Part 2

DW: I would like to thank Russ Dog, RebelAngel91210, Chibi Warrior II, xjakx, TolXl, -Dark-And-Light-Angel-Girl, Anni Mae15, Notorious Rejuvination and ZiaLiaLis for reviewing. Thanks guys!

_**Chapter 17: Interrogation Part 2**_

"I'm willing to listen to what you have to say," Natsu said. Lucy smiled warmly, a rare expression for her. Natsu could not help but notice what a beautiful smile she had.

Natsu bent down and began removing the chains and rope tying her to the chair, but as soon as he did, Erza, Gray and Mirajane shrieked and pounced on him, preventing him from doing finishing.

"Are you insane?" Gray yelled, "You can't let her loose!"

"She'll kill us all!" Erza said frantically.

"We can't give her a chance to escape!" Mirajane added.

"But…she's on our side now," Natsu said, earning a knock over the head from Erza.

"When did you become so naïve? You honestly believe what she told you?" she said.

"Yes, I do," Natsu said defiantly, "She has important information for us and we should let her free if she's going to give it to us willingly."

"We can't take off the restraints! What if it's a trick?" Mirajane asked.

"We're not removing the restraints Natsu, so get that out of your head." Gray said.

"That's okay, I can handle it from here," Lucy said. The others turned to her incredulously.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The ropes groaned in feeble resistance before breaking, the duct tape used to restrain her below also failing to remain. Lucy then clenched her fists, flexing her muscles. The handcuffs binding her hands popped off as if they were made of plastic. Natsu, Gray, Mirajane and Erza stared with shocked expressions.

"Holy shit…" Gray muttered.

"Dear god, she's a demon!" Erza whispered to herself. They gulped and took a step back, terrified by the display of her sheer strength.

"So you want me to tell you my master's plans now, correct?" Lucy said.

"Y-yes…" Natsu said nervously. He was beginning to have second thoughts about letting her out of her restraints.

"Are you afraid of me Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"No…" Natsu mumbled.

"You are. You all have great fear of me," Lucy said. She gestured towards the others, causing them to flinch. "You see, you are indeed afraid. I don't entirely blame you, but for the sake of making this go more smoothly, I'll be sitting." Lucy sat down in the chair.

"Quit playing games," Gray said, "Tell us what the Marauder is planning."

"Hmph, such rudeness. If I weren't such a nice person I might not tell you just for that," Lucy said.

"'Nice' my ass…" Mirajane muttered. Lucy shrieked in laughter at this. Everyone stepped back as if expecting her to go feral and attack them. They had already come to the conclusion that the ordinarily cool-headed girl was going insane, and she confirmed it with every passing minute.

"The name of my master's plan is Project Apophis. It will be the greatest achievement he made since yours truly," Lucy pointed at herself, giving a harsh laugh.

"How does his plan work?" Natsu asked apprehensively.

"Since the Apophis Experiment was a success, he's going to show it to the entire world! I've gathered all of the command codes for the world's nuclear weapons and have installed Project Apophis in every missile in their bases. He and his men will then launch a satellite to take control of every nuclear device on Earth! He will launch the nuclear missiles to the destination of the World Leader Summit and every major capital in each continent of the world! Washington for North America, Brasilia for South America, Moscow for Europe, Cairo for Africa, Beijing for Asia and Canberra for Oceania. Once the missile lands on each destination, the Apophis Experiment will be unleashed! It will contaminate the world's atmosphere and spread to its neighboring countries and eventually, everyone will be infected by it! A new Genesis will be at hand and my master will be its creator!"

"So that is the Marauder's plan is it?" Erza said. Lucy laughed like a maniac.

"But you don't know where the destination of the World Leader Summit is! That's classified!" Mirajane said.

"No! I already found out where it is! In Singapore!" Lucy shrieked in laughter. Natsu, Erza, Gray and Mirajane were staring at her in horror.

"What…that's impossible!" Gray said.

"Who told you?" Natsu asked. Lucy burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggling, falling off the chair onto the floor where she continued to laugh like a mad woman.

"D-don't you remember Natsu?" she gasped. Natsu shook his head, causing Lucy to laugh even harder. "You did!"

There was a stunned silence. All eyes turned to Natsu, who had a shocked expression.

"W-what? No I didn't! I never told you!" Natsu said. Lucy laughed.

"What you don't remember?" Lucy giggled, "You told me right after we finished having sex!" Erza, Gray and Mirajane turned to glare at Natsu, who had gone pale.

"You _slept_ with her?" Erza hissed, "You _slept_ with the most dangerous being on earth and then gave her the secret location of the World Leader Summit?"

"How could you be so foolish? Didn't you find it at all odd that some girl randomly approaches you for sex and then asks about secret locations?" Mirajane said.

"How was she?" Gray asked. Erza and Mirajane turned their glares to him, and he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, how could you be so loose! Honestly, getting it on with a hot sexy agent of evil who probably knows all sorts of kinky tricks, how shameful." The others rolled their eyes.

"Your assignment was to catch Project Cerberus, not screw her!" Erza said angrily, "Now the whole world's in jeopardy because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants!"

"I…I'm sorry," Natsu muttered, "I didn't mean for this to happen…I just…I don't know. I didn't know what I was doing. I don't even remember telling her. I have shamed myself, I know that much, but I'll do everything in my power to make it right. Lucy, I need to ask you one more thing."

"Yes, what is it honey?" Lucy said sweetly, giggling slightly.

"Don't get all cutesy!" Erza said, "It's because of you that the world is in danger! I don't know why we're even listening to you!"

"Erza, please," Natsu said before turning back to Lucy, "There must still be a way for me to make this right. Where will the Marauder and the Red Hand be launching the satellite and launching the missiles?"

"At his base in a small inhabitant island located above Seychelles. It will be a six hour boat ride to get to the island from here." Lucy said cheerfully.

"Good, then you can guide us to the island so we can stop them." Natsu said.

"No you can't!" Lucy giggled.

"What? Why?" Gray asked.

"Because I'm not going to help you get there!" Lucy giggled.

"What? But you said you'd cooperate with us!" Natsu said.

"No, I just said that I'd tell you what's going on. I'm still on my master's side, and I will be until death! I'm predestined to serve him for eternity! I work for him, not you, and if he forgives me for my failures, I'll rule at his side!" Lucy said in a singsong voice.

"Why did you bother telling us all of this if you're still working for your master?" Mirajane asked.

"Because there's nothing you can do to stop it! It's physically impossible for me to not serve him, I don't know how you were expecting otherwise! Remember, I was raised and shaped to be perfectly loyal to him, nothing will ever change that! I don't know why I told you, I just felt the need to explain it! I guess it didn't need to be said, since in a few days the Marauder will become the new God of the world and you would know anyways! Oh well, no use crying about it now! The world belongs to my master, you guys picked the losing side, get over it!" Lucy burst into laughter, clutching her sides as she rolled around the floor.

Natsu, Gray, Erza and Mirajane exchanged horrified looks as Lucy rolled around the floor, shrieking in laughter.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	18. Interrogation Part 3

DW: I would like to thank Syaoran07, NotoriousRejuvination, Anni Mae15, Francis Wolfang, ZiaLiaLis, Chibi Warrior II, Srstatts, yukihane and KuiKui for reviewing!

_**Chapter 18: Interrogation Part 3**_

Lucy continued to shriek in laughter, rolling in circles around the floor. She would occasionally bump into the others' legs as she did this. The others were still in shock over the information just revealed to them, and they didn't say anything until Erza kicked her in the side in irritation.

"Shut up!" Erza growled. Lucy was no longer rolling around in circles, but she was still giggling madly. They looked at her with a mixture of anger, disgust, and pity. The pity was not from sympathy, but from the sheer wretchedness Lucy was displaying. The once proud super-agent had been reduced to a deranged mad woman laughing to herself on the floor. She was pitiful.

"What now?" Gray asked.

"I don't know," Mirajane said, "We don't know the location of the Red Hand base and we can't stop the Marauder from launching the missiles."

"Give up," Lucy chirped, "I'm the only one who knows where my master's base is out of everyone in this room and I'm not telling!" She giggled to herself. Erza grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pulling her up roughly even as she giggled wildly. She smacked Lucy across the face. Lucy stopped laughing, and Erza froze in horror. Lucy was in such a pitiful state that she had forgotten what she was capable of. For a moment it seemed that she would attack, but then she made a childish noise and burst into laughter. Erza growled and shook her violently.

"Tell us where it is!" Erza yelled, "Tell us how to stop it!"

"Why?" Lucy asked sweetly.

"Because we'll kill you if you don't!" Erza said. Gray and Mirajane nodded in agreement. Natsu was shocked by the words, but in his state of shock from what they had learned, didn't voice any objections.

"I already told you, I'm more than willing to die for my master," Lucy said, "I already gave you more information than I should have, so you should be happy! Besides, you won't kill me anyways! My dear Natsu-kun will save me!" she giggled to herself. Natsu looked up, glaring at her.

"Don't make lightly of what you've done," Natsu said, "I may still have feelings for you, but that doesn't change what's happened. You deserve death for everything you've done, it is only my weakness that has prevented me from killing you. You are a pathetic shell of what you once were, but that doesn't absolve you of your crimes. What you told us only proves that your crimes have reached a higher level than we previously thought. If they want to kill you, I won't interfere with them!" Lucy pouted playfully.

"That's not very nice. You won't even protect your girlfriend?" Lucy said.

"You're not my girlfriend. You manipulated me, you played with my emotions, you stole information from me, and you tried to kill me! You don't love me; at least not in a normal way." Natsu said.

"I thought you said before that you understood that I loved you and that you loved me back?" Lucy said.

"I thought so too, but with everything you've done…I'm not sure you deserve to be loved. You've killed innocent people, murdered my fellow comrades, and stolen secrets that will doom the entire world. I know you may not have been fully in control of yourself, but if the Marauder controls you on such a massive level, there may not be redemption for you."

"I must serve my master. It is not my choice. He created me; I owe my very existence to him. You can't possibly understand what that is like," Lucy said.

"Perhaps not, but that does not change what has happened," Natsu said. Lucy suddenly stiffened, her eyes wide. She suddenly screamed, falling to the floor and frantically crawling to the corner. She sat up shivering, pointing to the other side of the room.

"You…no! No that can't be!" Lucy screamed, "Stay away from me! Get away!"

"Lucy, what the hell are you talking about? There's nothing there!" Natsu yelled at her.

"He's back! He's come to get revenge on me! Get away!" Lucy screamed.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Erza said, "Because if it is it's not-" she was cut off by another scream. Lucy was lying on her side, clutching her hair and rocking back and forth. She grabbed hold of Natsu's leg.

"No! Don't let him get me! He's here for revenge! He wants my soul!" Lucy shrieked. They were all staring at her in shock.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Mirajane asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Gray said, "She's gone batshit insane!"

"She must be hallucinating," Natsu said, "She's in no condition to be interrogated now. Go search for the strongest restraints you can and bring them here." Gray and Mirajane ran off, but Erza stayed right where she was.

"It won't work, she's already proven that she can break through restraints," Erza said.

"She won't be able to this time. Can't you see how far she's fallen into insanity? Her mental health has completely crashed. She won't be able to escape while she's in this state," Natsu said. Lucy continued to hug his leg, sobbing into his pants.

"No…please no… Don't let him get me… Don't let him get me!" Lucy whispered. Natsu kneeled down and picked up Lucy's shaking form, sitting down on the floor. She shook and sobbed and clung to Natsu like a child.

Natsu could not help but feel pity for her. He could not deny it, he did indeed love her. But did she truly love him back? She had proven herself capable of emotion, but did she really love _him_? And if she did love him originally, did she still feel that way now? She was such a complete mess that he doubted she would be capable of loving him still. He felt a pang of guilt. Lucy's severe decline in mental health was largely his fault. He had introduced her to so many emotions, but she didn't know how to react to them. She had never felt more than a tiny bit of emotion before, and the shock from it had driven her to insanity. He sighed; he didn't know what he would do. His feelings were nearly as messed up as Lucy's, and he didn't know what to do.

Gray and Mirajane ran back into the room, holding several devices.

"Okay, we were able to find rope, handcuffs, and a high-strength straight jacket. I think it should be enough considering her mental state," Mirajane said.

"Let's hope so," Erza said. They put the restraints on Lucy without trouble. She was such a mess that she didn't even struggle as they put the straight jacket and handcuffs on. They tied her legs and arm together with the rope and injected her arms with a numbing agent that would prevent her from breaking free. When they were done, they locked her inside a closet to ensure she wouldn't be able to get out.

"Okay, now all that's left to do is stand guard," Gray said.

"Not quite, we still have to figure out what we're going to do about Project Apophis," Natsu said.

"Oh yeah," Gray said.

"Whatever we do, we'll have to think hard about it," Erza said.

"It doesn't matter, we'll figure something out. I don't know what or how, but we'll figure out a way to stop the Marauder," Natsu said.

* * *

"No…please…" Lucy whimpered, "Stop tormenting me."

"Why Lucy? Why did you kill me?" the puppy in front of her said.

"I didn't mean to! I didn't know I became so strong after the injection! I was just trying to hug you! I didn't mean for you to die!" Lucy cried.

"You can't control your own strength, Lucy." the puppy said.

"I really didn't mean to!" Lucy protested.

"But that's the cold hard truth: you are a killing machine. You are designed to kill and cause harm. You won't be able to engage in normal relationships without serious self-control. For now I forgive you, but don't forget what I told you," the puppy said before fading away. Lucy breathed heavily for a moment before fainting from shock.

* * *

_A twelve-year old Lucy was laughing as she was sitting on a couch watching TV. Suddenly, Lucy heard the door opened. She turned around and sees her parents running over to her._

"_Mom? Dad?" Lucy asked puzzled. Her father quickly turned off the TV while her mother grabbed Lucy by the hand and everyone walked up the stairs._

"_Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Lucy asked._

"_Don't ask any questions, darling!" Lucy's father said, panicking. Everyone entered Lucy's parents' room. The couple quickly opened their wooden cupboard and hide Lucy inside._

"_Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Lucy asked, completely confused._

"_Just stay inside! Whatever you do, don't come out!" Lucy's mother cried_

"_And keep quiet!" Lucy's father added before they both shut the cupboard doors._

_Lucy sat down and shivered in fear. She had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, she heard a burst coming from the door. She could hear her parents gasp._

"_Where is she?" A voice that Lucy couldn't recognize yelled._

"_We have no idea what you are talking about!" Lucy's father yelled._

"_We have no children!" Lucy's mother added._

"_LIAR!"_

_**BANG!**_

_Lucy screamed as she covered her ears from the sudden burst._

_**BANG!**_

_There it is again._

_When it was over, Lucy looked through the blinds of the cupboard and widens her eyes when she sees two figures standing above her parents, both now lying on the ground with blood pouring out from their gun wounds._

"_MOM! DAD!" Lucy screamed with tears in her eyes. She burst out of the cupboard and run over to her parents. "Mom! Dad! Don't leave me!"_

_Her mother slowly turned her head to Lucy and gasped, "Lucy…run…" Her eyes then closed and her head slumped to the side._

"_NO!" Lucy screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "MOM! DAD!" The two figures then grab Lucy by her arms and dragged her away from her now dead parents. "No! Let me go! Mom! Dad! Help me!"_

* * *

Lucy's eyes shot open. She was flushed, sweaty, and panting. Tears came to her eyes and she began to cry. She sobbed and cried, torn apart by sadness and depression.

"Mom…Dad…" Lucy sobbed.

"Yes Lucy?" Lucy gasped and looked up. Her eyes widened at the two figures who are standing in front of her. She screamed and frantically squirmed over to the corner of the room, shaking and gasping.

"M-M-Mom…D-D-Dad…it…it can't be! No, no this is impossible! This is all in my mind, this is just a hallucination!" Lucy said to herself, closing her eyes tightly. She opened them to see that her parents were still there in front of her. She shook in fear.

"Wh-what do you w-w-want?" Lucy asked in fear.

"Why are you so afraid Lucy? We are your parents," Her father said. Lucy shook in fear as she looked at her parents.

"Please…have mercy!" she whimpered.

"Why?" Her mother asked.

"Because I didn't do anything when those men killed you both! I'm really sorry! I was too scared back then! And I'm sorry that I joined the Red Hand even though you two didn't want me to!"

"It's okay Lucy. We're your parents. We forgive you." Her mother said softly as she and Lucy's father kneeled down to her and hugged her.

"Im-Impossible. How can you guys forgive me so easily? I thought you two would be furious of me." Lucy said as she blinked back tears.

"We're not furious of you, Lucy. We're sad…and afraid that you will share the same fate as us." Her father said.

"Besides Lucy, you are never bad to us. We love you." Her mother said as they let go of their hug.

"But still, I can't be forgiven for the things I have done!" Lucy cried. "I've killed so many innocents!"

"No, Lucy. You didn't kill them, it was the Marauder. He is the one who ordered you to kill them. You didn't kill them on purpose. It's not your fault" Her father said.

"But I cooperated with him! It was my fault for being weak enough to be ordered to do such things! And even after he used my like that I still worshipped him like a god!" Lucy cried, "How can you say that it's not my fault?"

"From observation. We're not the only ones who think that way either," Her mother said. Lucy's eyes widened as a raven-haired girl appeared in front of her.

"Y-you're that Wendy girl…" Lucy said.

"Yes, I am," the spectral image of Wendy Marvell said. Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head.

"No, this can't be happening. You're all dead. This is just a hallucination. You're not real, just a product of my messed up mind," Lucy said.

"Perhaps we are hallucinations, but that doesn't make our points any less valid," Wendy said.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"You have proven that you are not evil. You did not kill all of those people on your own accord. You were forced to; it's not your fault," Wendy said.

"How can you say that it's not my fault after everything I've done?" Lucy said.

"I could see it then and I can see it now," Wendy said, "You feel massive guilt for your actions. It was subdued and internalized in the past, but it was still there. You did not want to kill me, you only did it because you had to. I forgive you for my death. I don't blame you in the least for it."

"But…but what about the horrible things I did? I'm despicable! I'm a monster! How can I possibly be redeemed after all of that?" Lucy whimpered.

"It is true that you did horrible things, but it is not too late to redeem yourself from them. You were a slave to the real villain in all of this. I forgive you for my death, and I know that you were forced to do those other things. I don't blame you," Wendy said, "Take a look at yourself and how hard you resisted. You were slave to a monster. It wasn't your fault." The world spun around Lucy.

* * *

_Lucy walked through the streets of Antananarivo. It had come to her master's attention that there was a center run by a former American soldier that was no doubt indoctrinating children to their capitalist ways. It was her job to locate it and eliminate the problem individuals._

_She knew where a man who knew of the place lived. He provided many supplies to the center, making him nearly as guilty as those who ran the place. She went into one of the smaller neigborhoods of Antananarivo and knocked on the door of the house. A tan skinned man opened the door. The moment he did so, Lucy grabbed him and forced him inside, closing the door behind them._

_The man struggled, but was no match for Lucy. She held him against the wall, leaning forward._

"_Ricardo Alvarez, right?" Lucy whispered to him. The man shook in fright._

"_What do you want?" He asked fearfully._

"_I think we both know what I want. I want to know the location of that little indoctrination center you've been supplying," Lucy said._

"_I…I don't know what you're talking about!" the man whimpered._

"_Oh really," Lucy said. She grabbed his wrist and began slowly twisting it. The man screamed in agony as the bones of his wrist cracked and popped._

"_Please! Stop this!" he begged._

"_Are you willing to tell me the location?" Lucy said. The man remained silent for a moment._

"_It is only an orphanage," he whispered. Lucy snorted derisively._

"_It is an indoctrination center to teach children your capitalist ways. It's even led by an American soldier, and there is at least one other there too," Lucy said._

"_She…she's not a soldier anymore. It is a strictly humanitarian place. The other one is merely there for protection. There is no indoctrination, only loving care for orphaned children," he said. Lucy's grip on the man loosened. Was that true? Was there no actual indoctrination. No, that wasn't possible. Her master said there was indoctrination, so there must be indoctrination._

"_Oh really? Why would they need another soldier to guard them if they aren't doing anything wrong?" Lucy asked._

"_It is only for protection! The place is good to the children and has no hidden agenda with them! Please, spare the-" Lucy grabbed him by the throat, glaring at him._

"_Last chance," Lucy said, "Tell me where the location is." The man remained silent. Lucy scowled and with a single sharp movement snapped his neck. She tossed him to the side and went to search his house. One of the first things she saw was a letter addressed to him._

_Opening it, she saw that it was a list of items needed for the orphanage. Lucy smirked as she looked at the address on the envelope. This was turning out much easier than she thought._

_

* * *

_

_Wendy Marvell read a book to a group of ten children between the ages of four and seven. They listened as the woman who took care of them read a fun story. A woman wearing a traditional head dress aided her. Suddenly, a siren blared throughout the building. Wendy looked up in shock, knowing what the siren meant. She turned to the other woman._

"_Marina, evacuate the children, I'll go help Gajeel defend the place," Wendy said urgently. The woman nodded._

"_Yes Miss Marvell," Marina said. She hurriedly gathered the children and led them out. Wendy hoped that the other children in the building would make it out safely as well. She ran off to the front of the building, where the alarm originated. She hoped she was not too late to help her friend and fellow comrade Gajeel defend the place._

_

* * *

_

_Lucy stood just inside the building, looking down at the fallen soldier before her. The black haired man was skilled, but was no match for Lucy. As he lay on the ground, he pressed a small button attached to his shirt, triggering an alarm._

"_They know you're here now…" Gajeel gasped. He was badly weakened from a large gash across the stomach. Lucy shrugged._

"_It doesn't matter, I will kill them regardless of the tiny impediment you set up," Lucy said. Gajeel looked up at her._

"_Don't you have any compassion? Attacking an orphanage…what kind of sick person would do that?" Gajeel said._

"_My master demands it. If it were up to me this place would be left alone, but since he demanded it, I have no choice but to carry his orders out," Lucy said. She raised her foot above Gajeel's head, swiftly bringing it down, crushing his skull like an egg. Lucy began to walk forward, but just then someone stepped out from around the corner._

_A black haired girl gasped as she saw Gajeel's body next to Lucy. She stood still in shock for a moment before acting. She pulled out what seemed to be a dart gun, but by the time she raised it, Lucy was already right in front of her. She knocked it from her hands and delivered a swift punch to the stomach. The black haired girl staggered back. She attempted to attack, but Lucy easily blocked. She attempted to punch her with swift strikes, but Lucy dodged. Finally, she was able to hit Lucy with a powerful kick in the side that sent her reeling back._

_Lucy glared at the girl. Few had been able to actually strike her. This girl was clearly experienced. Lucy charged, aiming a powerful strike at her, only to have it blocked. Unfortunately for Wendy, the strike was so powerful that it cracked the arm she used to block it. She winced in pain, which was enough opportunity for Lucy to deliver a kick that broke both of her legs and sent her flying into a nearby wall._

_Wendy attempted to sit up but failed. Lucy walked leisurely over to her and grabbed her by the neck. She glared at the injured girl._

"_Before I kill you, tell me one thing, why did you find it necessary to trespass in my country and indoctrinate our people?" Lucy asked._

"_I…I never indoctrinated anyone. This is an orphanage, we only take care of children in need. We have no intention of performing anything beyond that," Wendy said._

"_You're lying," Lucy hissed._

"_No, we've only cared for children, we did nothing to indoctrinate them!" Wendy said. Lucy growled and tightened her grip on Wendy's throat. The girl gasped, tears forming in her eyes. After a minute, her eyes slid shut and her head slumped to the side. Lucy let go, turning her attention to the halls. The place had likely already been evacuated, but she would have to search it anyways._

_As she walked through the halls, Lucy thought of what Wendy said. Was she right? Was this really just an orphanage? Her master's orders were to kill all here, but would he excuse her if she didn't? It didn't feel right to her to be doing this, but she had no choice. Her master would not tolerate failure in this. She would have to perform this task, even if it felt wrong to her. She was absolutely bound to her master's orders; it didn't matter how she felt about it._

_Lucy suddenly heard a small noise from inside a nearby room. She walked in and saw that there were six children huddled together in the dimly lit room. They stared up at her._

"_Please ma'am, help us!" one of them said. Lucy looked at them in shock._

_Lucy attempted to turn around and forget about this, but now that she knew they were there, she had to obey her master's orders. She fought herself to force herself away, but she could not. She had no choice but to follow her master's orders._

_Lucy looked at the children, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. She shakily reached into her skirt and pulled out a large knife._

_

* * *

_

Lucy screamed and slammed herself into the wall crying. She sobbed and looked up at the three spectral figures above her.

"Why did you make me see that again? Why did you force me to relive that?" Lucy sobbed.

"It proves our point," Her father said.

"But…but that just proves how horrible and despicable I am! I deserve death for that!" Lucy whimpered.

"But this proves that you are not a heartless monster," Her mother said, "You fought the Marauder when you tried to stop yourself."

"But I didn't stop myself!" Lucy said.

"That's not the point, the point is that you aren't evil. You can redeem yourself of your crimes," Wendy said.

"But how?" Lucy said, "How can I possibly redeem myself from something so horrible?"

"You must look within yourself to answer that Lucy," Her mother said, "You can still make things right Lucy, it's not too late for you." Her parents and Wendy began to fade away.

"No wait! Mom, Dad, don't leave me! I still don't know what to do!" Lucy cried.

"Do what you feel is right," the voice of her father said.

Lucy lowered her head and sobbed. After a minute, she looked back up with determination. She knew what she had to do. She would set things right.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	19. Changing Sides

DW: I would like to thank yukihane, Francis Wolfang, non-exsistant, Chibi Warrior II, RebelAngel91210, ZiaLiaLis, and 04kumo for reviewing.

_**Chapter 19: Changing Sides**_

Natsu watched Lucy screaming and crying for hours. She would talk to people who were not there, and would thrash on the ground. There was no doubt in his mind that Lucy was going insane. Her mental health had been utterly obliterated. He didn't know if she would ever return to normal, and if she did, would that really be a good thing?

Natsu loved Lucy, but he also recognized that she was nothing short of a killing machine. She had killed a mind-boggling number of people, including children and his fellow soldiers. He could tell that she was beginning to feel guilt about these deeds, but that did not mean her crimes were forgiven. She was after all, still a servant to the Marauder. She was not a complete individual as long as the Marauder was in the picture.

Natsu wanted to live his life with Lucy, but it seemed nothing more than a fantasy now. She was the mind-slave to a madman who was preparing to conquer the world. Everything seemed hopeless.

Natsu looked inside the closet through a small window, and saw that Lucy was now sitting up calmly, no longer in the manic state she was in before. Puzzled, Natsu decided he would watch her for a while and see what was going on with her.

Lucy debated with herself on how to help the others. She knew now that she wanted to join them more than anything. She wanted to be with Natsu, to not have to kill anymore. The past several hours had been filled with horrible guilt, as the realization of the full extent of her atrocities hit her. She had known of what she had done before, but now that she was able to feel emotion, the guilt was overwhelming. It was as if her eyes had been truly opened for the first time. She realized how despicable she was. She had murdered men, women, and children. She had mercilessly slaughtered all of them. She shivered as the memories took a hold of her. The memories of her killing people with her bare hands, of gunning down civilians, of stabbing children, they were too much for her. Tears continuously flowed down her cheeks. She didn't deserve to live after those horrible things. She fully intended to kill herself after helping the others.

She would set things right. She had to. She would do it for Natsu and for all of the victims that had been killed at her hands. The only problem was, she didn't know how. She was still essentially the Marauder's slave, and it would be difficult to go against him.

She wanted to help Natsu more than anything, but her twisted and manipulated mind wouldn't let her. She recalled how she had screamed at herself to stop as she killed children, but her body was not in her control, only following the Marauder's brutal orders. She feared that if she began to aid the others, the same thing would happen again. She was still subservient to the Marauder, and she couldn't aid Natsu until she could figure out a way around the rigid rules that were drilled into her head.

Suddenly the door opened, letting light into the room. Lucy squinted to see who it was.

"Natsu?" Lucy said quietly.

"Yes Lucy, it's me," Natsu said, "How are you feeling?"

"Better than earlier," Lucy said with a small smile as she lay on the floor, still restrained by the straight jacket. "I still have a bit of crazy though, so you'd better watch out!" she giggled slightly before sighing and shifting her eyes.

"Lucy…"

"I don't know what to do. I want to help you, but I can't. I'm still a slave to my Master's orders. I don't know how I can help you while I am still this way. I understand now the full extent of the crimes he's forced me to commit, and I want it to stop. I don't want to kill anymore. But…"

"But what?" Natsu asked.

"I just can't break free from him. Aside from the part of me that's forced to obey him, a part of me still loves him. Not the same kind of love as with you, but still… he created me Natsu. I owe my existence to him. I…I can't help but feel that I'm bound to his will. It's hard to explain. For god's sake he created me! I…I owe my existence to him, you can't understand what that's like…"

"Perhaps not, but just because he created you doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants with you. You're a person with feelings, and he uses you as nothing but a tool to kill people with. He doesn't have your best interests at heart," Natsu said. Lucy remained silent. "Lucy?"

"I don't know what to do…" Lucy whimpered.

"I don't know what to say either, Lucy. But I will tell you this: the Marauder doesn't care for anyone but himself." Natsu said. "Not for you, not for his men-"

"That's it!" Lucy said suddenly, her eyes full of joy, "I can't believe I didn't realize it before!"

"What's it?" Natsu asked.

"The Marauder doesn't care about what happens to the people of the world. One of the laws the red Hand ordered me is to always act in the best interest of the world. That is my top priority, even above obeying the Marauder! The Marauder ruling the world will not be best for the world, so I can oppose him for the sake of our planet! This is great! I'll help you Natsu! I'll lead you to the base and help you defeat the Marauder!"

Natsu smiled and helped Lucy into an upright position. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Tears of joy coming from her eyes, Lucy kissed back.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	20. Infilration

DW: I would like to thank moonlightbutterflye, yukihane, RebelAngel91210, Francis Wolfang, xjakx, Srsttats and Chibi Warrior II for reviewing.

_**Chapter 20: Infilration**_

Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray and Mirajane sat together in a small passenger compartment on a train that taking them north.

After agreeing to help them locate the Red Hand's base, Lucy was hand cuffed to ensure that she would not attempt to double-cross them. Natsu trusted her, but the others were not so sure. She had agreed to help find the Red Hand base and stop their plans in destroying the world, but for all they knew, it could be a trick. Lucy knew that the suspicion was justified, but she couldn't help but feel a little down about it. She was determined to make them see that she really had changed. Soon, she would help set things right.

The train was taking them north to the city of Antsiranana. On the way, they passed through vast forests and crossed numerous rivers. As they went on, hills became a more regular feature. After several hours, they arrived at the city of Antsiranana.

They then step out of the train and walked through the city. Lucy wore a heavy robe to disguise the fact that she was handcuffed. She could easily break the handcuffs if she wanted to, but she felt that willingly keeping them on would make the others more likely to trust her. She led them to a place where they could buy a boat. The boat was extremely poorly made, and there were beer bottles in the back left by factory workers. Lucy bought it with the vast amounts of money she had at her disposal. The others were rather hesitant getting into the boat. It looked like it would fall apart at the slightest touch. Finally, they stepped into the boat. They started it up and began driving, hoping to reach the island where the Red Hand is located as soon as possible.

Mirajane drove while Gray, Nastu, Lucy and Erza sat together at the back of the boat, guarding Lucy to make sure she doesn't do anything suspicious. Despite Natsu's reassurances, they were still highly suspicious. Who wouldn't be after what Lucy had put them through? Erza was particularly suspicious, and kept her hand on her gun at all times. As Mirajane drives into the sea, Lucy gives her directions, directing her where to go.

That night, they are now driving through the island nation of Seychelles. As they drive through the nation, they drive pass the Seychellois island of Mahe. Everybody in the boat turn their heads to the island as they drive pass it.

On the island, there were small wooden houses. Children were laughing and playing on the shore and the adults are smiling and even singing in unison as they work and do their daily routines. The villagers are all in high spirits.

"Everybody on the island is so peaceful, isn't it?" ERza sighed.

"Yeah. That's why we can't let the Red Hand destroy the world. We can't let them take away our peace. Everybody in the world is depending on us.

The next day, Mirajane continues driving the boat while Lucy continues giving her directions.

Finally, after 32 hours of travelling, they saw an island in the distance. Everybody except Lucy widen their eyes in awe. It was a small rocky island. On top of the gully was the Red Hand's base. It was an awe-inspiring structure. Its base was like a huge pyramid. Towards the top, the pyramid turned into a massive obelisk that was at least 1,600 feet high, making it taller than the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. The entire structure was made out of white stainless steel.

Lucy then tells Mirajane of a secret way to enter the base. She tells her to drive into a cavern under a gully that is located at the other side of the island. At first, everyone thought Lucy is leading them to a trap, but when they arrived at the said cavern, they sighed in relief when there are no guards at sight.

Mirajane slowly drives into the dark cavern and turns on the boat lights. Soon, they arrived at a small wooden pier. Natsu, Lucy and Erza step out of the boat while Gray and Mirajane remained.

"Are you sure you guys want to do this yourselves with Lucy?" Gray asked Natsu and Erza.

"Yes. Besides, we need at least two people to warn the military bases about their nuclear weapons." Erza said.

Gray sighed. "Fine. Mirajane and I will contact the US military and tell them to contact all the bases in the world to remove Project Cerberus from their missiles." Gray said.

"Will you tell them about Lucy?" Nastu asked worriedly. He now trusts Lucy and he doesn't want her to get into trouble again.

"Don't worry. If she does help the both of you, we won't." Mirajane said. She turns to Lucy. "Don't try to do anything to backstab Natsu and Erza, because if you do, we'll get you for this."

"Don't worry. I won't." Lucy nodded.

Mirajane turns back to Natsu. "I'll also try calling my brother for backup." Mirajane said.

"Try not to get yourselves killed." Gray added. Natsu, Erza and Lucy all nod their heads.

"Good luck." Mirajane said.

With that, Mirajane turns the boat around. As she and Gray leave the cavern, Gray turns his head to Natsu, Erza and Lucy and took a glance at them one last time before saluting, wishing them good luck.

"Alright Lucy, guide us into the base." Natsu said to Lucy.

"It will be easier if I had this robe and my handcuffs off." Lucy said.

"And then what? You can take this chance to kill us? I don't think so!" ERza said.

"Erza! Not again! She's now going to help us infiltrate the base and you still don't trust her?" Natsu asked.

"I would have thought you'd have realized it by now, but your reasoning is flawed," Lucy said irritably, "If I wanted to kill you, I could do so in an instant, even with handcuffs on."

"That's enough. Both of you stop it. That kind of talk will get us nowhere," Natsu said, angry at Erza for being so suspicious and at Lucy for talking in such a provocative way. "We will remove Lucy from her restraints."

Natsu then help Lucy remove her robe. Lucy then lift up the handcuffs, which had been snapped into several pieces.

"Alright, let's go." Lucy said. "Follow me."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	21. Let Go Of Things

DW: Here's the next chapter. Also, this story will only have seven chapters left. That means from now on, I'll be updating this story every 1 to 3 days! Isn't that great? Anyways, here's the next chapter.

_**Chapter 21: Let Go Of Things**_

"Stop dragging your feet and come on," Lucy said to Erza as they and Natsu walked through the cave that would eventually take them to the base.

"I'm not dragging my feet, I'm staying behind you so that I can keep an eye on what you're doing," Erza said icily.

"Okay, this is getting silly. Why won't you just give her a tiny bit of trust," Natsu said to Erza.

"Because she's a vicious manipulative sociopath," Erza growled.

"Yeah probably, but I'm still helping you. If I wanted to kill you I would have done so by now. Trust me, there were plenty of opportunities," Lucy said dismissively.

"You're insane," Erza growled, "You're completely insane. You're constantly changing your attitude and the way you act. You've acted sorry for your victims sometimes and apathetic other times. You'd probably kill me on a whim, regardless of what your plans are. You are insane and mentally unbalanced!"

"Erza! Stop!" Natsu yelled angrily at Erza. He then turns to Lucy who remained silent, not responding to the accusations against her.

"What, you're not going to answer me? Trying to act cool or something? You crazy bitch, you know I'm right don't you!" Erza said. Lucy stopped and turned around.

"Of course you're right. I am insane, and mentally unbalanced, just as you said, but the fact remains that I am indeed helping you. Were you in my position and put through the things I've been through, you would not escape with your sanity intact either," Lucy said, a trace of sadness in her voice.

"Don't try to paint yourself as some sort of victim here," Erza said angrily, "Your insanity is likely the result of your own evil actions catching up to you."

"Yeah, but the fact that I was pumped full of chemicals and radioactive material after I'm captured was a factor too," Lucy said, "And then there was the fact that in the program I was in, any child who did not perform their tasks perfectly would be killed on the spot. That led to some paranoia and a few other problems. Of course the things you've mentioned had a hand in it too."

"So you admit you're a deranged lunatic. That settles it for me. You're up to something here," Erza said.

"Alright, stop this guys. This is taking us nowhere," Natsu said, not liking where this conversation is going.

"What could I possibly be up to?" Lucy asked, "I've led you here and have helped you greatly. Why would I be doing that if I didn't genuinely want to help you?"

"Maybe you want some more top secret information from us." Erza said.

"Don't overestimate your importance," Lucy said derisively, "If you recall I already extracted all useful information from you."

"Yes, I do recall," Erza said, grinding her teeth. She had been tortured for weeks into giving up information.

"Now there's no need to be bitter. I can't help it if you can't let go of things," Lucy said. At this point, Erza snapped. She grabbed Lucy and shoved her against the wall, shaking in fury.

"ERZA!" Natsu yelled in shock.

"_Let go of things?_ You think I should just forget about everything you've done? Your entire life has been about nothing but inflicting pain and death upon others! I don't know how you ever convinced Natsu to give you even an ounce of trust, but I won't!" Erza screamed, "To you all of your victims may be a faceless mass, but to me they were my friends and fellow comrades!" Tears were coming from her eyes.

"Erza, please. Let go of Lucy." Natsu said as he places a hand on Erza's shoulder.

"I already told you, I was under orders, the choice was not mine," Lucy said, grabbing a hold of Erza's arms and painfully forcing them away.

"Orders are no excuse for what you've done! You murdered my friends and my fellow comrades and even my…my little sister!" Erza sobbed.

"Sister?" Lucy said questioningly. Erza broke down into tears, lowering her head and sobbing.

"Erza…" Natsu said softly.

"You…you murdered my little sister," Erza sobbed, "She wasn't even a full soldier, and you still murdered her! She was the sweetest girl on earth and never harmed anyone, but you ruthlessly killed her!"

Natsu turns to Lucy, who stares at Erza blankly. "I…" Lucy attempted to speak, but found herself unable to. Erza's hatred for her was beginning to make sense.

"I was stationed in Rwanda when they retrieved her body from Madagascar. I was called to identify her, since I knew many of the soldiers in that region. I didn't know that it would be her, but when I got to the location where her body was held, I found myself face to face with my sister's corpse."

"You don't share the same last name," Lucy noted calmly. Natsu turns to Erza, who looked up, shaking in anger.

"Of course we don't! We had our last names assigned to us when we were little to erase our connections to our old lives, just like all the others in the military. And don't speak so casually about her! You've disrespected her enough!"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Lucy said.

"I mean the fact that you were completely brutal to her! You beat her viciously before strangling her to death! And after that, you did horrible things to her body! I can't even think of what you did to her anymore! After I saw what you did to her, I couldn't sleep for a month!" Erza said. Lucy felt some sympathy, but Erza's yelling was causing her to become angry. She knew that she deserved to be yelled at, but she could not help but feel that old sadistic urge that once defined her.

"Well if it puts you through that much pain to think about, maybe I should remind you of it as punishment for being so distrustful," Lucy said, the sadistic look that Erza had long ago learned to fear coming to her face.

"LUCY!" Natsu yelled, turning to Lucy. "Don't do this!"

"D-DON'T YOU DARE!" Erza said.

"Yes, after killing Wendy Marvell I mutilated her body. I was frustrated with my inability to prevent myself from killing the children under her care-" Lucy got interrupted.

"You murdered the children? You monster! You not only killed my sister, but the children she cared for! You heartless monster! If we ever get out of here, I'll see to it that you're put to death!" Erza screamed.

"I didn't want to kill them. I even tried not to kill them," Lucy sighed, "But I was bound to the Marauder's will, and it was his orders. I truly didn't want to, and afterwards I took my frustration out on the body of the girl."

"You liar," Erza snarled, "You didn't care about killing them any more than you did about killing my sister."

"Okay, please. Stop this you two." Natsu said, turning his head to both girls, not liking where this is going.

"I didn't want to kill her either, but it was my orders. In frustration, I began to cut up her body. I started by breaking her fingers off, Then I began to skin her arms and legs…" Lucy explained.

"Stop it!" Erza screamed.

"Stop this, Lucy! NOW!" Natsu said to Lucy. Lucy continued, satisfied that she was causing the older woman so much pain. In her unstable mind, this was punishment for her earlier attitude towards her.

"After I had removed the skin from her arms and legs, I slit her belly open and began gutting her. I took out her stomach and liver first. Then I removed the kidneys, pancreas, bladder, and other organs. I chopped them up into little bits. Finally, I removed her intestines and used them to hang her from the ceiling."

"You bitch!" Erza screamed. She was shaking and sobbing from hearing Lucy describe mutilating her sister. She rushed forward and punched Lucy as hard as she could. Lucy was thrown back from the impact.

"Erza!" Natsu yelled as he quickly wraps his arms around her, restraining her.

"Let go of me!" Erza screamed as she managed to punch Natsu's face with her elbow. Natsu falls to the ground and she turns back to Lucy. Erza goes over to Lucy and pins her to the ground. She hits and punches her as she lay stunned on the ground.

"I'll kill you!" Erza screamed, "I'll end your terror and make it so you never get the chance to hurt anyone again!"

"In your dreams!" Lucy yelled, regaining her senses. She kicked her feet out, hitting Erza squarely in the chest and throwing her back quite a distance. Lucy advanced as Erza shakily stood up. They were both bleeding, but they were still more than willing to fight each other. Erza screamed and charged at her. Lucy grabbed her wrist as she passed, yanking it so as to pull her off her feet. As she fell however, she grabbed Lucy by her shirt and slammed her to the ground.

"My sister was a beautiful, kind person, and you murdered her!" Erza screamed, wrestling Lucy on the ground. Out of sheer shock from this turn of events, Lucy barely fought back. She punched and kicked Erza in retaliation, but without any of the killing intent from the past. She was deep in thought. Perhaps she had gone too far in describing the murder of Erza's sister. In her unstable state of mind, it had seemed like the appropriate action, but she now regretted it. Lucy was going through complex emotional shifts regularly as the part of her that wanted the madness to end and the part that was still sadistic fought each other for dominance.

Lucy pinned Erza to the ground and grabbed both wrists. She held them tightly, causing Erza to shriek in pain. Erza jerked her arms back, and Lucy lost her grip on one arm, which Erza used to grab Lucy's other arm and pull Lucy back, dropping her to the ground. Erza swung a foot around, which connected with Lucy's jaw. Quickly recovering, Lucy punched Erza in the face.

"I'll kill you!" Erza screamed. A grin was spreading across Lucy's face.

"Not if I kill you first!" Lucy said with a harsh laugh. Lucy didn't mean this at all, but it came from her automatically. Lucy's body, when subjected to struggle and exertion, released powerful adrenaline type chemicals that made her stronger and more aggressive. She would have to stop soon or she might end up going overboard and kill Erza.

"Stop this! Both of you!" Natsu yelled as he stood between them.

"STEP ASIDE NATSU! This girl needs to pay!" Erza yelled.

"But Erza…" Natsu turns to Erza.

"That is an order!" Erza yelled.

"Let her come, Natsu." Lucy breathed. Natsu turns to her. "LET HER COME!"

Lucy jumped away breathing rather fast. She was not winded, but the complex emotions she felt were causing her to breathe more quickly than usual. She had to end this now.

Erza and Lucy then charged at each other. Natsu shuts his eyes tightly, preparing for the worse. Just as the two girls were about to reach each other though, the ground shifted beneath them. Looking down, Erza, Lucy and Natsu saw that they were on a thin metal grate, apparently for drainage. They began to move off of it, but suddenly it collapsed beneath their feet. They fell down, only managing to grab onto the side at the last minute.

Lucy glanced down and saw that the hole went down nearly a hundred feet. If they fell, they would surely be killed. Lucy gripped the edge tightly and began swinging her body back and forth. She managed to gain enough momentum to swing herself up over the edge, at which point she managed to scramble out of the hole. She looked at Erza and Natsu who was still clinging to the sides, just barely holding on.

Suddenly an idea crossed Lucy's head; a cruel idea, but one that appealed greatly to her in her current state of mind. She watched as Erza pulled herself up. She had just pulled her shoulders and chest over the edge of the hole when Lucy kicked her in the face, knocking her back. She lost her grip and fell back, only barely managing to grab the sides with her hands before she could fall down.

"LUCY! What are you doing?" Natsu yelled in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?" Erza gasped, fright in her voice. Lucy didn't answer, instead stomping on Erza's left hand, causing her to lose her grip. Now her right hand was all that held her up. Lucy raised her foot above that hand but stopped just as she was about to bring it down.

"Lucy! Stop this! What are you doing? I trusted you! And now you're going to turn your back on us?" Natsu yelled.

Lucy widens her eyes.

'_He's right. What am I doing?'_ Lucy thought. She began feeling rather conflicted about this. She was angry at Erza and didn't like her, but could she really kill her? Of course she could, having killed many others. The real question was whether she wanted to kill her. She had told herself that she wanted to be done with this life and right the wrongs she had done. Could she really do that if she killed Erza? If she kills Erza now in front of Natsu, Natsu would never love or trust her again.

Erza panicked as she lost her grip. Only her fingers were holding her up, preventing her from falling to her death. She knew this would happen; she knew Lucy would betray them. She could not hold on much longer, her fingers were slipping. Just as she lost her grip and fell however, Lucy caught her by the wrist and pulled her up.

"Lucy!" Natsu said, a smile forms on his face.

Erza stared at Lucy in shock, unable to believe she had been saved by her. Lucy then turns to Natsu and pulls him up as well. She then silently turned and began to walk down the cave.

"We're almost there, come on." Lucy said. Erza and Natsu walked alongside her quietly. Erza stopped walking, causing Lucy to turn around questioningly.

"Erza?" Natsu asked.

"I don't forgive you for everything you've done, and I still don't trust you," Erza said to Lucy, "I hate you for killing my sister, and I don't know why I'm saying this since it was your fault anyways but…thank you for saving me."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	22. Betrayed Again

_**Chapter 22: Betrayed Again**_

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at a metal door. Lucy turned to them.

"Are you ready? Do you have your weapons ready?" Lucy asked. Natsu and Erza nodded, taking out their rifles. Lucy nodded and typed in the access code to open the door. The door opened, revealing a bright, almost sickening white hall. They had barely walked in when two security guards walked in.

"Who are you? Show us your identification," one of them ordered. Natsu and Erza both fired, dropping the two to the floor. Lucy grabbed them and put them into an unoccupied room that was nearby.

"We don't want to let them know we're here this early," Lucy explained, "Now come on, we have _a lot_ of stairs to climb."

* * *

The Marauder stared at the computer screen showing his most trusted servant aiding the enemy in infiltrating his base. He was shaking with rage, infuriated that his own servant had defied him. What on earth had made her do that? She had never shown even a hint of disloyalty, and treated him as if he were a god. Why had she suddenly betrayed him?

The Marauder growled. It was clear that Lucy had been tricked or manipulated into working for them, which meant that she was too weak to be his servant. He would dispose of her later, but first he had to get her away from Natsu and Erza trying to mess up his dream project.

"Sir? What are your orders?" the security team leader that stood before him asked. They had been waiting several minutes as the Marauder thought to himself about what to do. The Marauder opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a sleek gun.

"We'll confront them immediately," he said, "I'll lead this personally."

"Sir, is that wise?" the man in front of him said nervously.

"Of course, now follow me," The Marauder growled. Yes, this was potentially dangerous, and he could just as easily send subordinates, but he wouldn't allow this event to slide by in the hands of others. When they had infiltrated this building, they had insulted his pride and his glory. The same was true of Lucy's betrayal. He would deal with these things himself.

* * *

"Okay, I think we're about 1,400 feet up!" Lucy said as she climbed the stairs with Natsu and Erza.

"Oh great, just six thousand more feet to go," Natsu muttered.

They would run up one flight of stairs and then another and another. When one ended, they would run into the hall and go to the next one.

They ran up another flight of stairs, but when they tried to get through the doorway to the hall, they found it to be locked. Lucy gestured to go on to the next door. When they opened it however, they found themselves in a hall full of security fighters, their weapons pointed at them. They froze, and the door behind them slammed shut automatically. Before they could react, the security guards had grabbed a hold of Natsu and Erza. Lucy was about to attack, but a familiar voice called to her.

"Hello Lucy, I haven't seen you in a while," the voice of the Marauder said amidst the security guards, "Whatever are you doing here?"

Lucy turned to face him, her eyes wide in horror. There he was, her master. The man she had so long worshipped. She fought the urge to run up and hug him. She reminded herself of all the things he had forced her to do, but still found herself wanting nothing more than to be at his side. The feeling was overpowering, and she was so stunned and conflicted that she couldn't even move.

"M-Master…" Lucy whispered. The Marauder nodded.

"Yes dear Lucy, but why are you doing this? Why have you betrayed your master? You've hurt me greatly Lucy. You have been like a daughter to me, and I always thought I could trust you. You've disappointed me greatly," The Marauder said. Lucy was shaking and tears were coming from her eyes. She walked forward slowly, her movements jerky and uncertain.

"Oh Master…" Lucy whispered.

"No! Lucy! Don't listen to him!" Natsu yelled, "He doesn't feel anything towards you! He sees you only as his tool! If you were like a daughter to him, why has he shown such disregard for your feelings and well-being? He doesn't care about you Lucy, I care about you! I love you more than he ever could."

Lucy stopped just as she was in front of The Marauder. She glanced at Natsu, then to the Marauder, and then back to Natsu again. The Marauder put a hand under her chin and directed her gaze back to him. He wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Lucy, why do you believe them over me? Surely you must know how much effort I put into turning you into a powerful being. I am responsible for your existence, and have cared for you since you were a child," The Marauder said soothingly. Lucy was overcome with tears and embraced him, crying into his shoulder.

"No! Lucy!" Natsu yelled, but Lucy didn't appear to have heard him. The Marauder stroked her hair gently.

"You poor girl, these Americans have confused and manipulated you. You must realize that this is where you belong, not with them. They only want you so that they can destroy my grand dream and then kill me. They would use you for their own gains and then kill you. They have lied to you and confused you, but I speak the truth."

"Lucy, don't listen to him, it's a lie!" Natsu called to her. Lucy suddenly stiffened and backed away.

"He-he's right! You killed my parents and made me kill a bunch of other people. You just want me as a tool for killing!" Lucy forced herself to say, fighting the urge to go back to him.

"You think that I'm lying? Fine. Guards, let the Americans go," The Marauder commanded. The guards let Natsu and Erza go.

They were still for a moment. Then however, Erza drew her rifle and pointed it at the Marauder. Natsu lunged at her, attempting to stop her.

"No wait, it's a trick!" Natsu said, but it was too late. Erza pulled the trigger on her rifle, but it clicked. She checked the rifle and found that there was no ammunition in it.

"They…they took the bullets out?" Erza gasped. Indeed, the guards had removed the ammunition while they held them earlier.

"Erza, do you see what you've done?" Natsu said. Erza turned her gaze to Lucy, who was looking at them in horror.

"You see Lucy, they've just wanted to kill me all along. You've seen it with your own eyes," The Marauder said.

Lucy was overcome by all of this. Of course they had tried to kill the Marauder, he was an evil man who wanted to rule the earth. But the Marauder was also the person she had served and worshipped for all these years. But that same Marauder had forced her to kill Erza's sister and many others. He had created her though, and she owed him gratitude for that. But he had made her do all these evil things. He had raised her to be loyal to him though.

These thoughts swirled around her head and she clutched her head as if in pain.

"You can redeem yourself Lucy," The Marauder said, "You need only eliminate these people who have gone against me and tricked you."

Lucy's eyes widened. She looked back and forth between Natsu and the Marauder, her eyes wide. She began hyperventilating, the stress from all of this too much for her to handle. She was duty-bound to serve the Marauder, but she loved Natsu so much. She didn't know what to do. Should she do as her master said and attack Natsu and Erza, or should she help them? She had served the Marauder for so long, it felt impossible to go against him. Yet she also loved Natsu and wanted to stop this life of killing. But she had been trained and raised to obey the Marauder's orders absolutely. Oh god, what would she do! She was so confused and scared over what to do. She gripped her head, her eyes wild and her breathing heavily.

Finally, she turns to Natsu. She staggered towards him until she was face to face with him. She spoke in a strained voice.

"I'm sorry…Natsu…"

Then, Lucy delivered a swift punch into Natsu's gut. Natsu gasped in pain. Soon, his vision turns blurry and within seconds, he shuts his eyes and fell unconscious.

* * *

Natsu groaned in pain as he slowly woke up. His vision was blurry at first but soon, he regains his sight. Natsu looked around and sees that he's now in what looks like a laboratory. Natsu tries to move his arms, but found himself he couldn't. He turns his head and realizes that his arms have been tied by tight ropes and he's tied up to a chair. When Natsu tries to get up, he also felt the rope tied around his waist and legs as well.

"Glad to see you're up." The voice of the Marauder said. Natsu looked up and widens his eyes. In front of him, was the Marauder, Lucy's master. Behind the Marauder were four scientists. Natsu grits his teeth angrily.

"You bastard! How dare you manipulate Lucy! I will never forgive you!" Natsu yelled angrily.

The Marauder laughed evilly. "Natsu, you really think Lucy will ever love a low-life like you?"

"Of course she loves me! She's just being controlled by you! She doesn't want to kill the people who you ordered her to kill; she had to because of you!" Natsu yelled.

"You really think you can take Lucy away from me? I created her. She worship me as a god. She will always to destine to serve me. She will never truly love you, Natsu." The Marauder said.

"How do you know my name?" Natsu asked.

The Marauder laughed again. "Natsu, don't you recognize your own friend?" The Marauder then removes his black hair, which turns out to be a wig, revealing his blonde hair. He then also removes his mask, revealing his face. Natsu widens his eyes in horror.

"Laxus…"

**END OF CHAPTER**


	23. Lucy Has Returned

DW: I would like to thank Chibi Warrior II, Srstatts, Francis Wolfang, yukihane and minamidani for reviewing. Here's the next chapter, and yeah, pretty lame chapter title huh? XD But's it's the best I can think of.

_**Chapter 23: Lucy Has Returned**_

Lucy walks down the hallways as she follows after two security guards who are guiding Erza, whose wrists are cuffed, to her cell.

"I knew it. I knew you are still siding with the Marauder no matter what." Erza said as she turns her head to Lucy.

"I'm sorry…I really am." Lucy said with tears in her eyes.

"I thought you said to Natsu you wanted to give up your life of killing!" Erza said angrily.

"But…I can't go against my master! I hate myself for it, but I can't! I am forever enslaved to his will!" Lucy yelled.

"I can't believe this. You really have disappointed Natsu. You really have! He loved you and you betrayed him!" Erza said. Lucy gasped as she stopped and widens her eyes.

"Silence!" One of the guards yelled as he hits Erza at the back of her head.

Lucy froze in place. Erza was right. Natsu loves her very much and yet, she betrayed him once again. She finally realized she's guilty for what she had done and ashamed of herself. She shuts her eyes tightly and clutches her head as she remembered how much she loves Natsu as well.

_Lucy and Natsu were flushed and panting. They held each other in their arms and were gazing into each other's eyes._

"_Oh Natsu…" Lucy said dreamily._

"_Lucy…" Natsu said back. They were both panting heavily, exhausted from the passionate actions they just did._

"_I…I love you," Lucy said, giving him a kiss._

_"I…love you too, Lucy," Natsu said. They kissed and embraced before falling asleep in each other's arms._

Lucy fell to her knees as the guards and Erza finally arrived at her cell. One of the guards open the cell door.

"Get inside, you scum." The other guard said to Erza.

Suddenly, they heard a scream. The guards and Erza turned to Lucy questioningly, who lifts her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs with tears rolling down from her cheeks.

"I LOVE YOU NATSU!" Lucy screamed. She looks at the guards and Erza and her face distorts into a face of rage and fury. She growled angrily as she got up and charges toward the guards. She punches one of the guards in the jaw, sending him flying across the hallway. The other guard quickly draws out his gun, but Lucy kicks the gun off of his hands and punches him in the gut.

The guard gasped in pain and staggers back, only for Lucy to punch him in the face, sending him sprawling through the ground.

Lucy panted heavily for a while before turning to Erza, who stares at her in awe.

"Lucy…" Erza uttered.

Lucy sniffed as she wipes off the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry Erza." Lucy said. She walks over to Erza, and brings down her leg, breaking the cuffs. "Let's go save Natsu."

* * *

"Laxus…why?" Natsu asked Laxus, his eyes wide in shock and horror. "WHY? Why are you working for the Red Hand?"

"Because you proven to me that I was never your friend, Natsu. You left me to die back at Mogadishu." Laxus snarled.

"I'm so sorry Laxus! All of us thought you were dead! How did you survive the explosion?" Natsu asked.

"After you send me into the building, I managed to find the laboratory where the Red Hand scientists are conducting Project Apophis…" Laxus explained.

_Laxus charges towards a door and breaks it down with his body. He then found himself in a laboratory where there are computer screens everywhere. He widens his eyes in awe at the screens. The screens shows the data of the Apophis Experiment and various pictures of animals and humans being infected and killed by the virus._

"_Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice said._

_Laxus turns his head and sees a man who has a gold teeth and dressed in a white trench coat walks up to him. Laxus quickly draws out his rifle at him._

"_You…you're Dr. Stanley, the creator of the Apophis Experiment, aren't you?" Laxus asked angrily._

"_Yes. Isn't it beautiful? It's not perfect yet but with a little more research, it will be the greatest invention ever made by mankind!" Dr. Stanley said._

"_You're crazy! You really are!" Laxus yelled. Suddenly, he looks up when he heard a soaring sound above the building, which he can tell it's the sound of two jet planes._

"_They're sending air support?" Laxus said in shock. Natsu didn't told him about this! He couldn't believe it. Natsu has betrayed him by sending him into the building, leaving him to die along with Project Apophis!_

_Laxus turned around and watched Dr. Stanley closing the door and locking them inside the room. Dr. Stanley turns to him and said, "Join me, young man. And I'll show you more."_

_Laxus fell to his knees as the jet planes fire their missiles at the building. Then, everything went white._

"You betrayed me, Natsu! You left me to die!" Laxus yelled. "Because of your betrayal, I join the Red Hand and help them with their experiment. After we finally perfected the virus, we kidnap various children around the world. Lucy turned out to be the greatest creation I ever made and since then, she helped me kill all the soldiers who have betrayed me." A wicked smile formed on Laxus's face. "And now, she has finally brought me the one who betrayed me the most. You."

"Laxus, please! I'm really sorry! Don't do this! Please, stop working for the Red Hand, stop killing our comrades and come back to us!" Natsu yelled.

"It's too late, Natsu! It's too late." Laxus snarled. "And now, it's time to bring you your punishment for betraying me." Laxus snaps his fingers and the four scientists took out their syringes containing the Apophis Experiment in them. They slowly walk towards Natsu. "Soon Natsu, you will join me and serve me in my new World I'm planning to create. If the injection is a success, you will serve me. If the injection failed and mutates you…" Laxus chuckled. "Then die and rot in hell along with the others."

"Laxus…" Natsu widens his eyes as the scientists walk closer to him. "Laxus…LAXUS!"

Suddenly, the door burst open and Lucy and Erza stormed into the room. Erza holds up her rifle and shoots down all the four scientists.

"Lucy?" Laxus widens his eyes in shock. Lucy scowled at him.

"I won't like you kill Natsu!" Lucy yelled at Laxus. Natsu widens his eyes.

"Lucy…" Natsu said.

Laxus growled angrily at Lucy. "What did you say?" He hissed.

"I said I won't let you kill Natsu!" Lucy yelled angrily, lifting her finger at him.

"You dare turn your back on your master?" Laxus said as his eyes were furious. "You'll betray the person who created you and made you who you are?"

"No! You didn't create me! You kidnap me and kill my parents! And I don't like the way you made me! You never thought of me, only yourself!" Lucy cried.

"Never thought of you? I gave you amazing abilities and strength far beyond any normal person!" Laxus said.

"That…that's not what I meant. You never once thought about how I felt about everything. You made me kill a bunch of other innocent people."

"You're forgetting your place. You are not meant to feel, you are meant to kill. That is all you're good for. Just take a look at him," Laxus gestured to Natsu, "You could never go into real life. You have the instinctive need to kill, that's how I made you. You are little more than an animal that does as its master commands. You have no voice of your own, only me. Now return to your master!"

Lucy paused, panicking. Was he right? No, no she wouldn't listen to his lies anymore. She looked fearfully at Laxus, putting on a determined face.

"No, I won't go back to you, and I'll stop this insane project of yours from working. I won't let you command me anymore. In the time you've commanded me, you've brought nothing but pain and suffering to me and those around me. The same will happen if you command the world. You will create suffering and misery. I will stop this madness, and if necessary, I…I'll k-kill you," Lucy said, wavering slightly but meaning exactly what she said. Laxus backed away in shock.

Lucy had never disobeyed him, let alone threatened him. It was time he stopped playing around.

"Fine, you are now a traitor and will be dealt with as such. You really are a fool. You think that you are somehow immune from my wrath? Turn around." Laxus said. Lucy and Erza turned around and see twenty security guards entering the room. They surround the two girls and aim their rifles at them.  
"I have twenty guards here, each armed with high grade weapons. Even you wouldn't survive if they open-fired. You should have known enough to stay where you were and not resist your destiny."

"I'm making my own destiny!" Lucy yelled as she turns back to Laxus, "I'm a person, and I'm finally making my own choices!"

"You are no person! You are a thing for killing! You have superhuman abilities and therefore are not human!" Laxus yelled, "I created your pathetic life and I own it! You are mine! You are not an individual, you are just a tool! A tool that belongs to me and no one else! No one will ever care about a thing like you, nobody will love you or think of you as anything other than what you really are!"

"No…" Erza said. Everyone's heads turned to Erza, "You're wrong, she is a person. You may have messed her up, but she's still a person with wants, needs, and feelings. She is capable of love and compassion. I may have been blind not to see it before, but I know now the conflict within her. She never wanted any of this, you made her! You forced her to do unspeakable acts of murder since she was a child! She may have suppressed it, but it's now clear to me that she feels guilt for all of that! She is a person! She can feel guilt, sadness, happiness, and love, despite your best efforts to eradicate those feelings. You say that nobody will ever love her? I can assure you that the man in front of you did indeed love her. When you were creating her, you made a mistake to overlook her feelings."

Lucy was looking at Erza with tears coming down her cheeks. Laxus was shaking in anger, furious that his most loyal servant had betrayed him.

"Fools! The only mistake I made was not killing that brat the moment she was created!" Laxus screamed. On his silent command, the guards raised their guns and prepared to fire. Before they could however, Lucy threw something on the ground, and the room quickly filled up with a noxious, red smoke.

"Pepper gas!" one of the guards gasped out. After a minute of stumbling around, one of them finally managed to stomp out a small burning pellet that was releasing the gas. Lucy, Erza and Natsu were nowhere to be seen.

"Where did they go! They're gone!" a guard shouted.

"They obviously ran out of the room, idiot!" Laxus yelled. "Find them! Don't let them get away!" Laxus and the guards then quickly ran out of the room and ran down the hallways. They then arrived at a door and looked at the keypad, which had fingerprints on it. He pounded on the door.

"Stupid girl, I know you're in there! There are no exits from that room, you have nowhere to run!" Laxus yelled.

* * *

Lucy untied the ropes from Natsu's wrists, waist and body. Natsu got up from the chair and embraces Lucy.

"You did it Lucy," Natsu said quietly. Erza nodded.

"I believe you now. I accept that you're on our side. Of course now we have to figure out what we're going to do next. There are no exits from this room and on the other side of the door is a bunch of armed guards who will shoot us as soon as we step out," Erza said. Lucy tapped the side of her head for a moment.

"Let's see…yes, that's it! I know what to do!" Lucy said as Natsu breaks his hug.

"Really? What?" Erza asked. Lucy opened the bag and looked inside, nodding to herself.

"Yes, that will do just fine. Just follow me," Lucy grinned, pulling a small object out of the bag.

* * *

Laxus was considering welding the door open when the door began to open on its own. It appeared that Lucy was giving herself up. Laxus grinned in victory as the guards raised their weapons. Lucy walked out, holding a small silvery sphere in front of her. Laxus's eyes widened. He ran in front of the guards before they could fire.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Laxus yelled frantically at them. It had been many years since he himself had dealt with these situations, but he was still sharp at recognizing things for what they were. He knew a bomb when he saw one.

**END OF CHAPTER**

DW: Only four chapters left! Stay tune and read and review!

Also, after I'm done with this story, I'll announce my next story.


	24. Building Destroyed

DW: I would like to thank MangaFreak15, Chibi Warrior II, yukihane and Srstatts for reviewing. Only three chapters left to go.

_**Chapter 24: Building Destroyed**_

There was a tense silence. Lucy and Laxus glared at each other. After what seemed like an eternity of stillness, Laxus broke into a smile.

"So what now Lucy? Surely you must realize that if you do that you will be killed," Laxus said.

"Yeah, but so will you and all of your goons!" Lucy said, "It would be worth death to put an end to you." Laxus merely laughed.

"I see. This just proves how desperate you really are. Your situation is hopeless. You stand here in a room full of armed guard on the 80th floor of a 120 floor building full of even more guards. It would take you half an hour just to get down to ground level, let alone out of this entire complex. You have no chance of escape. You're so pathetically hopeless that your best option is blowing yourself up! But what would that accomplish? This building is still here, and someone is bound to find it! Someone will take control of the satellite, and you can bet they'll use it! You can't do anything to stop that, so why bother! This building was meant to withstand exactly this sort of thing! The floors are reinforced on the inside, and the outside is covered in crystalline armor that can resist the force of a nuclear blast out there!"

"Really? What if there was a nuclear blast _in here_?" Lucy said. There was silence for a moment as the statement sunk in. Laxus's eyes widened as he looked at the device in Lucy's hand.

"Yes, it seems you've realized exactly what this is," Lucy said coolly.

"What is it?" Erza asked. Lucy smirked.

"A special little monster developed by our top scientists. When detonated, it creates a small thermonuclear blast. At the center is a sphere of baradium coated in thermite. Upon detonation, it expands into a blast sphere that completely vaporizes everything within two hundred meters of it. All inside the blast sphere will be gone, while anything outside will remain unharmed. It is a deadly tool combining precision with extreme force." Lucy explained. Laxus's men were backing away, whispering to each other.

"Why the hell are you using something like that? You'll kill us all! You'd better not activate it!" Erza hissed.

"Yes, listen to your friend. It would be pointless for you to activate such a suicidal device," Laxus said.

"But I've already activated it," Lucy said casually. Everyone's eyes widened.

"You what!" Erza shrieked.

"I already activated it. It's set to a 'dead-mans switch', which means that if I let go of this switch, as would happen if your men were to shoot me, it will go off." Lucy said. There was a silence in the air following her bold statement.

"So what now? If you intend to blow yourself up, then go ahead and do it!" Laxus said daringly.

"Our deaths are still avoidable, provided you do as I say," Lucy said. Laxus laughed.

"Oh really? And what is it you want?" Laxus said mockingly.

"You will take us to the control room at the top of this building where we will stop the countdown in launching those missiles permanently," Lucy said, "After we have ensured that there is no possibility of reactivation, you will contact the United Nations and confess to your plot. You will provide us with transport to get out of the area and stay put yourself while waiting for them to get you. Those are our demands." Laxus chuckled to himself.

"And if I should refused?" Laxus said. Lucy held up the bomb so that they could clearly see her thumb pressed down upon the switch she had explained earlier.

"Do I need to say? I'll release this switch and blow all of us up!" Lucy said. Laxus, Erza, and everyone else in the room flinched.

"You wouldn't dare. You'd kill me, your master, the man, who you supposedly love, and yourself. I created you, remember? I know how your mind works! You don't do anything unless it's for the benefit of me! These worms may have tricked you into working for their side, but you can't take such an aggressive action on your own! You're just bluffing!" Laxus laughed.

"Hey Laxus." Everyone looked around to see Natsu, standing behind Lucy and Erza, glaring at Laxus.

"What do you want, you bastard?" Laxus sneered.

"You've miscalculated. Lucy is capable of much more than you thought. She is a person, and as such you can't predict the way she thinks in absolute certainty. That will be your greatest mistake: not thinking of Lucy as a person. When you attempted to take away her free will and individuality, you also sacrificed all of the ingenuity and creativity she could have given you," Natsu said, a tiny smirk on his face, "That is why you'll fail. Your assumptions about Lucy will be your downfall."

"Well I have yet to see much ingenuity in her. Everything creative she's ever done has been a variation of my orders! Show me one thing she can do completely on her own without any influence!" Laxus yelled. Lucy scowled at him for a moment before suddenly smiling

"Okay, I'll take you up on that challenge, I'll do something completely on my own without any guidance or interference from others right now. Just you watch!" Lucy said, reaching into the pouch at her side. She pulled out another of the round, silvery bombs. Laxus laughed.

"That is your creative new action? What, do you expect to blow me up even more?" Laxus laughed.

Lucy merely smiled sweetly at him. She raised a thumb up and pressed a button on the bomb. The device let out an electronic beep and a small light began blinking red. Laxus's eyes widened as Lucy tossed it into the garbage chute that leads to the basement level. Laxus dove for it but was unable to reach it before it plummeted down the chute. He looked at Lucy in rage.

"I set the detonation time to ten minutes. You have that amount of time to evacuate this building." Lucy said coolly. There was a moment of stillness, followed by an eruption of movement as Laxus's men panicked.

"Guards, retrieve it! Contact maintenance and retrieve it immediately!" Laxus shouted, but the guards paid no attention to him. They pushed and shoved their way out of the room. Losing themselves amidst the commotion, Lucy, Natsu and Erza managed to sneak out into the halls.

Laxus looked around for them but couldn't find them. He tried to get through the door but the panicking guards blocked the way. Only with difficulty did he manage to get out of the room, by which time Lucy and the others were nowhere to be seen. Growling, Laxus ran off, deciding that it would be best to leave the building for now. He doubted that the bomb would truly destroy the building, but it would certainly cause damage and he didn't want to be caught in the blast. He would get his revenge on the fools who dared oppose him like this though, that he promised himself.

* * *

Lucy, Natsu and Erza ran through the building. There were guards and administrators panickedly running around as well, but in the chaos they either didn't realize or didn't care that there were intruders.

"Come on, I think there's an elevator shaft around here," Lucy said. They ran forward, finally reaching an elevator. Lucy repeatedly pressed the button, and moments later the elevator opened and they got in. Going down the elevator, they suddenly stopped. Lucy pounded on the controls, but they wouldn't turn on.

"We're not at the ground floor yet and we only have six minutes left. We'll have to go to one of the resource elevators used to transfer machinery on this floor," Lucy said.

They ran out and began searching for an elevator they could use. After a minute of searching they found it. It resembled two big metal blocks side by side with a cage on top of it and cables coming out. Lucy ran up and tried to turn it on, but it wouldn't start.

"Come on you stupid thing!" Lucy growled.

"What now? We only have four minutes!" Erza said. Lucy glanced up.

"Get in the cage, I'll try to activate it manually," Lucy said quickly. The others climbed up into the cage while Lucy placed her hands inside the bottom portion of the device. They stood idly for a moment, but the silence was broken by an ear-piercing scream. They immediately jumped out of the cage to see what was wrong with Lucy.

Lucy was breathing heavily, her eyes wide, as her left arm was caught in the machinery.

"Oh my god! Lucy!" Natsu gasped. He immediately tried to help her, but he couldn't manage to separate the two pieces of machinery her arm was trapped between. Lucy gasped and began pushing one of them away, managing to free her arm.

She fell backwards, breathing heavily. Her arm was completely mangled. The bone was completely broken and was protruding from the skin in several places. Blood was everywhere.

"Lucy!" Natsu said, trying to help her. Lucy shakily stood up and pushed him away.

"I'll be fine for now. We need to get out of here! Only two minutes left! Follow me, I have one more idea," Lucy said. They followed her as she ran through the halls. After an agonizingly long hallway, they arrived at a door. Lucy swung it open, letting in outside air.

For a moment they thought that perhaps they had made it, but then they realized that they were not on the ground level, but at the point where the pyramidal base and the tall obelisk tower connected.

"Whoops, I guess this wasn't such a good idea after all," Lucy said.

"Now what?" Erza shouted.

"I don't know! We only have forty seconds left!" Natsu yelled.

"Well how are we going to get out now?"

"Thirty seconds left," Lucy said.

All hope seemed lost as they stood at the edge of the doomed building. Just then however, they heard a noise and looked up. A military helicopter was flying straight for them. At the controls was Elfman and behind him were Gray and Mirajane. Gray opened the hatch on the side of the helicopter while Elfman flew just a few feet away from the edge of the building.

"Come on! Jump in!" Mirajane shouted over the whirring of the helicopter blades. They all jumped in and Gray closed the hatch.

"Ten more seconds! Let's get out of here!" Lucy said. Elfman flew the helicopter away. Mere moments later, there was a blinding flash they looked back to see that the giant building was collapsing in on itself. The pyramidal base crumbled inwards and the giant obelisk tower came crashing to the ground.

They let out a cheer and hugged each other.

"We did it!" Erza said excitably, "We actually did it! We stopped Laxus!"

"You guys sure came at the right time!" Natsu said. Gray grinned.

"Good news Natsu. We managed to contact the military bases in time and they have successfully removed all Project Cerberus virus tubes from their missiles. After that, we contact Elfman to pick us up and help you guys." Gray said.

"But how did you know where to find us?" Lucy asked.

"We attached a little bug on you to make sure you weren't doing anything sneaky earlier. We forgot about it, but when we turned it back on we heard everything that happened and were able to approximate your movements. We hoped that you would come out one of the side doors, and it looks like luck was on our side," Mirajane said.

"Hey, look!" Erza said. They looked back and saw that the place where the main tower had fallen was sinking into the ground, and bright molten lava was coming to the surface.

"That's…"

"The mineral pump," Lucy said in astonishment, "It must have collapsed in and now it's bringing magma to the surface."

They landed on the other side of the island where it's ten kilometers away from the site. After wrapping Lucy's arm in bandage (she insisted that with her accelerated healing it would be fine as long as it was kept in place), they watched as magma engulfed the entire facility. The entire facility was soon sank into ten feet of lava. They watched throughout the rest of the day. By evening, the entire place had been devoured by the lava.

That night, it rained, cooling the magma and turning it into a flat expanse of basaltic rock.

As the rain cooled the lava, Gray, Mirajane, Erza and Elfman laughed and partied in the rain. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy went to the back of the helicopter, where they had a little celebration of their own.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	25. A Hero In The End

DW: I would like to thank bookworm0313, Chibi Warrior II, Francis Wolfang, yukihane, GakuenAliceGRL, Srstatts and xjakx for reviewing.

_**Chapter 25: A Hero In The End**_

"How's your arm doing, Lucy?" Natsu asked.

"It hurts a lot, but it will heal in a couple months as long as I keep all the bones and stuff lined up. I'll get a cast later to hold it in place," Lucy said.

"Where do we go from here?" Erza asked.

"I'll fly you all back to North Carolina. We'll make the necessary arrangements after we arrived back in America." Elfman said.

"And what of me, Natsu?" Lucy asked Natsu, "I am Project Cerberus after all, and your orders were to kill me. How will you explain to your superiors that you brought me with you back to your home?" Natsu thought for a moment.

"We'll tell them that you were just from a village and chose to defect to our side. We'll say that you helped us and that you should be given citizenship," Natsu said.

"If you think that will work, then I will agree to it. By the way, you guys should probably take some of this," Lucy said, taking out a vial of clear liquid.

"What is it?" Gray asked.

"The antidote," Lucy said.

"The antidote to what?" Mirajane asked.

"Oh yeah! I never told you guys! My blood contains an extremely powerful neurotoxin that can kill within minutes." This statement resulted in a collective gasp. "I've been slipping Natsu the antidote to it, and have taken it myself, but you guys will want to take some too or the poison might accumulate in yourselves. Just put a few drops on your tongue and you should be fine for a while. I'm planning on starting to take it regularly, so hopefully it will be weakened eventually."

They took the antidote before giving it back to Lucy.

"Well, let's get going!" Lucy said.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that."

They turned to see Laxus standing behind them with a submachine gun leveled at them. Everyone present reached for their weapons, only to remember that they had either lost them or had left them in the helicopter. They glared angrily at Laxus.

"You will all die right here," Laxus growled.

"You can kill us all, but we still won," Natsu said.

"That's right, you've lost your base and project and the United Nations will no doubt soon learn of your deeds. Your dreams have been dashed," Erza said.

"Silence!" Laxus yelled, "You will all pay. Especially you!" he pointed at Natsu, "You took away my most loyal servant and destroyed all my data of the Apophis Experiment! I'll kill you first!" Laxus pulled the trigger, releasing a spray of bullets. Natsu, Erza, Gray, Mirajane and Elfman began to dive for cover, but then they realized that Laxus's shots had not reached them. Lucy was standing in front of Laxus, having taken the gunshots.

"You…" Laxus growled. Lucy looked up and grabbed him by the throat, even as her chest bled from the gun shots. Laxus gasped for breath and attempted to pull away her arm. Her left arm was disabled from it's earlier injury, but her right was at Laxus's throat.

Choking and gasping, Laxus fired the submachine gun again, shooting Lucy at point blank. Lucy's body shuddered as bullets went into her, but she did not let go. Laxus continued to spray bullets into her, and the others could only watch on in horror as she stayed where she was, taking Laxus's bullets while choking him.

After a minute, Laxus closes his eyes and his head slump to the side, his breathing ceased. He dropped the gun and fell to the ground. Lucy stood still for a moment before falling over on top of him.

"LUCY!" Natsu yelled, running to her. Erza, Gray, Mirajane and Elfman followed him, surrounding the two lying in front of them. Natsu gently rolled Lucy over, and gasped at her wounds.

Lucy's stomach and lower chest seemed to be a mass of bloody remains. If seen alone, it would have been unrecognizable as a human torso. Natsu leaned down and shakily touched the side of her face.

"Lucy…" Natsu whispered, "Lucy, wake up! Wake up!" he begged.

"Natsu…" Lucy gasped. He looked up, his eyes brightening for a minute.

"L-Lucy?" Natsu said.

"I'm not sure that I'll survive…" Lucy whispered.

"No, don't say that!" Natsu said, "Don't even think that!"

"Natsu…I'll try to hold on…but if I don't make it, know that I love you. You've saved me from myself and my master. Thank you Natsu… I truly love you…" Lucy whispered. Natsu leaned down and kissed her. Lucy kissed him back for just a moment before her eyes slid shut. Natsu lowered his eyes, a tear trickling down his cheek. Erza checked her.

"She's stopped breathing and I can't detect a heartbeat. She may have gone into another healing coma, but I'm not sure. It's impossible to tell with her," Erza said.

"What now?" Gray asked. Natsu looked up.

"We…we take her with us. If she's still alive, we'll keep her safe while she heals. If not…"

"Don't think about that," Erza said, "I'm certain she will survive. Now come on, we need to get her back in the helicopter if we're going to take her back with us."

"But…what if she really is dead?" Natsu asked. Erza stopped.

"If she's dead, she'll have died a hero to the world."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	26. True Love

_**Chapter 26: True Love**_

Natsu watched Lucy's unmoving body. He dotted the side of her head with a moist rag as she lay still on the bed.

It had been three months since they had taken Lucy to the small island somewhere near the coast of North Carolina that held Elfman and Mirajane's personal residence, and she had yet to move a muscle. The fact that she hadn't begun decomposing was virtually the only thing that let them know that she was still alive. She had no pulse, no heartbeat, no brain activity, and showed no other signs of life. Her body was at a temperature of sixty five degrees farenheight; a normal person with that temperature would be dead. Lucy's amazing biology continued to amaze them, even as they solemnly watched over her near-dead body.

Elfman and Mirajane take Lucy to their private residence where they would not have to worry about the government finding out about her. They were on one of the numerous tiny islands in the straights between the North Carolinian mainland and Bermuda. There was little chance that they would be discovered, giving them time to decide how to treat Lucy.

Her wounds were stitched together, but given the amount of internal damage, it was really up to her amazing, but still mortal, biology to keep her alive. All they could do was keep her in a stable state by sheltering her from the elements and giving her moisture to keep her hydrated. Through scans of her body, they discovered that she was indeed healing, yet they weren't sure whether she would survive, and if she did if she would be who she once was.

All brain activity had ceased, and if she were to wake up, they were unsure if she would still have memories of what had happened or if she would revert to her old state. It would be extremely bad if she were to wake up with no consciousness other than the killing instinct she was created with.

Natsu spent nearly his entire time at Lucy's bedside. The others would help too, but most of the time he was alone with Lucy. Natsu longed to see her open her eyes again, to hold her in his arms. It hurt him greatly to watch her like this, but he could not look away. He felt as if spending time away from her was equivalent to abandoning her. He couldn't leave Lucy's side.

"So how is she today?" Erza asked, walking into the room. Natsu looked up and put on a fake smile.

"Her wounds are healing up. Theoretically, her body should be functional by now, at least in terms of life functions. It's only a matter of waking her mind up," Natsu said.

"Well, we can only hope for the best," Erza said with a sigh. Suddenly Gray ran into the room.

"We've been discovered," Gray said quickly, "There are several soldiers that have come to inspect the area. We have to get her out of here before they get to this point." Natsu stood up, alarmed.

"Do they know about Lucy?" he asked.

"I don't know, but if they discover her they'll put the pieces together, so hurry up and get her out of here! We have a boat on the other side of the island ready for you, you'll have to take her and get out. We can't go with you, so I guess this is goodbye."

Natsu nodded in understanding. He put his arms under Lucy and picked her up. He ran to the doorway, turning to face them.

"Thanks for everything. Tell Elfman and Mirajane thank you for me as well," Natsu said.

"We will, now hurry, before they get here. And thank you for everything Natsu." Erza said. Natsu nodded and ran out.

Natsu carried Lucy to the other side of the island. He went as fast as he could, careful not to hurt Lucy, and finally reached the other side, where there was a small boat prepared for them. Natsu got into the boat and set Lucy down in an empty chair in the deckhouse. He wished there was a bed to set her in, but this was the best he could do. He carefully strapped her in and leaned the chair back so that she was in a semi-lying position before starting the boat and going off.

He wasn't sure where he would go, but knew that he had to get Lucy away from where they currently were. He decided that their best route would be to go to the Bahamas. There, they could at least manage to arrange passage to a more neutral part of the world, where they would be free from this life they had both lived. He wanted nothing more than to settle down in a simple home with Lucy and live the rest of their lives together peacefully. It was a stretch, given the circumstances, but he maintained hope.

They travelled for hours, well into the night. Natsu frequently checked on Lucy, making sure that she was in stable condition.

That night there was a large storm, and the small ship was tossed in the waves. For a while, Natsu attempted to navigate through the choppy waters, but soon realized the futility of it and resigned himself to letting the waves take the ship wherever they were meant to go. He took Lucy out of the chair and held onto her, making sure that the roughness of the sea did not hurt her.

The small boat was tossed and smashed by the waves. Natsu held onto Lucy, not letting go for a moment. The storm got worse, and one wave knocked the ship so hard that Natsu and Lucy were launched to the other side of the deckhouse. Natsu groaned as he got to his knees on the floor. He crawled over to where Lucy was lying on the floor. He embraced her still form.

"I can't take it anymore. I can't go on, Lucy. Everything seems hopeless without you," Natsu whispered to her, tears coming from his eyes, "Why won't you wake up? Why must you be like this? Why?" He began crying over her. His tears hit her face.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to have happened. I don't know how much longer I can take this. Who am I kidding, I was a fool to think that we could ever be together. The world is against our love Lucy, and now we're going to get smashed to pieces in a storm! I just can't take this anymore…"

As Natsu cried over her, tears fell upon Lucy's face. Suddenly her eyelid twitched, and slowly opened. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but soon focused on the person above her.

"Natsu?" Lucy whispered. Natsu looked up, disbelieving what he had heard.

"Lucy…you're awake! You're awake Lucy! I can't believe it!" Natsu said joyfully, he lifted Lucy up and kissed her. Though tired and weak, Lucy kissed him back, feeling the life return to her body as their lips met in a burst of passion.

"Oh Natsu…I'm so glad to see you again!" Lucy whispered into his ear, giving him kisses all over his face.

"Lucy, I thought I might never see you open your eyes again. I love you so much Lucy, I never want to be without you again," Natsu said.

"Oh Natsu, I love you too! I love you so much!" Lucy said, kissing Natsu passionately. They kissed and held each other in their arms even as the storm raged around them. Nothing could separate them. Their love erupted that night in a surge of passion.

* * *

The next morning they lay cuddled together on the floor of the deckhouse, their clothes laying off to the side. The storm had passed and the sun was now out. Lucy woke up first, smiling as she saw that Natsu was lying on top of her, his face snuggled into her breasts. She giggled, stroking his hair. Natsu's brilliant eyes slowly opened and gazed at Lucy.

"Good morning Natsu," Lucy said quietly.

"Good morning Lucy," Natsu said.

"I think the storms over. Where to next?" Lucy asked. Natsu gave Lucy a kiss.

"I don't care. As long as I'm with you, my life is perfect. For now though, lets just stay like this," he said. Lucy nodded and hugged Natsu closer to her, closing her eyes in relaxation as she lay snuggled up with her true love.

**END OF CHAPTER**

DW: Hooray! Lucy has woken up and Natsu and Lucy are now together! But there's still one chapter left guys! Stay tune and read and review!


	27. Eight Years Later

DW: Well guys, here's the final chapter of the story. I'm glad I'm able to finish this story before the end of the month. I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed, favorite and alerted this story!

_**Epilogue: Eight Years Later**_

"I'm back from school Mom!"

A young, dark haired girl ran up and hugged Lucy. Lucy leant down and picked her up, ruffling her hair.

"So Cheryl, how was school today?" Lucy asked.

"School was great! By the way, I invited my new boyfriend over!" Cheryl said excitedly. Only moments after saying this, Natsu appeared.

"Boyfriend? When did you get a boyfriend? Where is that little punk?" Natsu said quickly. Lucy playfully hit him (which with her strength was equivalent to being hit by a professional boxer).

"Be nice!" Lucy said, "I think it's great that Cheryl has a little boyfriend!" Natsu got up, rubbing his shoulder.

"Well I don't! I don't want some kid touching my little girl!" Natsu said. Lucy couldn't help but giggle. It had been eight years since Lucy and Natsu had left their lives as agent and soldier behind themselves, and in that time they adopted a regular family lifestyle. They now lived in New Zealand, hidden from the military. Erza, Elfman, Mirajane and Gray secretly contacted them from time to time, and helped them to establish a life there. They soon settled down, and grew quite comfortable in their new home. Lucy, given her biology, was unable to have children, so they adopted a little girl and named her Cheryl. They loved Cheryl the same as if she were their own, and of course Natsu became overly protective as any father would upon discovering that their daughter had a boyfriend.

"Dad! He's only eight years old! That's a year younger than me!" Cheryl said. Lucy smiled and set her daughter down. Cheryl went over to Natsu and grabbed onto his leg.

"Promise that you'll be nice to him or I'm not letting go!" she said. Natsu chuckled.

"Okay, I'll be nice, but only if you treats you like the little princess you are," Natsu said. Cheryl let go and nodded her head eagerly.

"Oh, he will! He's really nice!" Cheryl said.

"When is he coming over?" Lucy asked.

"Soon, he was right behind me but had to run back to school to get his backpack," Cheryl said. The doorbell rang and Cheryl perked up.

"You see? There he is now!" Cheryl said, running to get the door. Natsu sighed and turned to Lucy.

"She's growing up so fast…" he said.

"Oh don't worry; it's just a little crush! When I was her age, I had a crush on Tony Blair!"

"Well, I guess that I should be glad that she's not attracted to fifty year old British prime ministers," Natsu said with a smirk.

"Okay, so maybe our cases aren't that similar, but it's still just a crush! The kid probably doesn't even know that he's her 'boyfriend," Lucy laughed.

Meanwhile, Cheryl went to open the door, letting in a boy with black hair and blue eyes. Cheryl grinned and dragged him over to her parents.

"Mom, Dad, this is Eliot, my boyfriend!" Cheryl said excitedly.

"B-boyfriend?" Eliot said in confusion. Lucy gave Natsu a little smirk that clearly said _I told you so!_ Natsu leaned down and shook Eliot's hand.

"Nice to meet you Eliot," Natsu said.

"You too Mr. Dragneel," Eliot said nervously.

"Aw, don't be nervous Eliot!" Lucy said, "He may act all tough but he's really a big softy! Just look at how poofy his hair is! Here, see for yourself!" Lucy lifted up Eliot so that he was at the level of Natsu's hair. Eliot seemed very confused by the sudden action, but nevertheless touched Natsu's pink hair.

"Mom! Put Eliot down! You're embarrassing me!" Cheryl said. Lucy put down Eliot.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" Lucy said playfully. Cheryl attempted to glare at her mother but broke out into laughter.

"Come on Eliot, let's go play in the backyard!" she said, pulling Eliot outside. Lucy and Natsu followed them out, and watched as they promptly began playing games. They sat down in lawn chairs and watched as Eliot and Cheryl played together.

"So is my hair really that poofy?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, it is," Lucy said, "But I like it that way, so it's okay!" They watched as Cheryl and Eliot began playing with a ball.

"You know, this is sort of like how we fell in love," Lucy said. Natsu looked at her skeptically.

"How does this in any way possible resemble our situation?" Natsu asked.

"Well we…we did…they are sort of like us because…well…Oh, we did…no…Hm, I guess we really don't have much in common, but we still love each other, and so do they, and that's what really matters!" Lucy said.

"I thought that you said that it was just a little crush?"

"Oh sure, for now, but I can tell that they're going to fall in love one day. I promise you that," Lucy said.

"Well, I guess I'll have to prepare myself for that day," Natsu sighed. Lucy grinned and leaned over to him.

"I think they make a nice couple. Just like us," she said. Natsu smiled. Lucy always knew how to lift his mood up.

"I love you Lucy," he said. Lucy grinned.

"I love you too." She leaned forward and gave him a big kiss.

**THE END**

DW: And that's the end! I'm glad this story has finally ended. And now, here's my new story idea. It's a D Gray Man story, so D Gray Man fans, rejoice!

Title: Accidentally In Love  
Category: D Gray Man  
Pairing: Allen X Lenalee  
Summary: Lenalee is a girl from China who moves to New york City to fulfil her late brother's wish. She got herself as a cashier/delivery girl in a pizza restaurant and she develops a huge crush on a handsome customer named Tyki Mykk. One day, after leaving the restaurant, Tyki got hit by a car and fell into a coma. But Lenalee saved his life by quickly sending him to a hospital. While he's in a coma, Lenalee admits that she's in love with Tyki and when Tyki's family came to visit Tyki in the hospital, they mistook Lenalee as his fiancee and welcome her to the family. She also soon meets Tyki's brother Allen Walker. Soon, she realizes that she's in love with Allen instead.

What do you guys think? Again, thank you to everyone who enjoyed this story and until next time, read and review!


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